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It's a warm evening! The sun has just gone down a bit ago, meaning most of the crowds have filtered out of the colorful maze-like wonderland that is the Magic Gardens. There's plenty of lights carefully placed around to light up the mosaic walls, sending flickers of color and light everywhere. The dim sky overhead just makes the area more mystical, like stepping into another world full of psychedelic art. But the walls aren't just covered in art--they're covered in all manner of recycled bottles, home goods, trinkets and knick-knacks. Trash, to some, beautiful treasures to others.
It is exactly the place that Simon does not want to be at. When he enters the gate and steps into the maze, his eyes are narrowed behind his glasses, looking over everything with so, so much judgement. He even has his hands hooked together behind his back, as if afraid of touching anything. He's not in a suit tonight, it's a little too warm for that--instead a light blue short sleeve button up shirt, neatly tucked into pale colored slacks.
And yet this is the sort of place that Amon had set their weekly meeting. The tall man was lingering insider, considering some portion of wall as Simon entered. Long and tall, he struck suck a pose even in the relaxed moment. Wine colored sleeveless turtleneck went well with the dark skin and showed off the light definition of his arms, clinging just the right way for the rest of the body into those black slacks and tall heels. The belt provided a pop of color of gold, by way of drawing the eye down oh-so-low onto the figure of the devil himself.
When he caught a glimpse of Simon, a warmth took his features before he studied the other in truth. "You made it," he notes as if this was an accomplishment. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
"Against my better judgement," Simon replies, giving Amon a brief up and down look before stepping further inside the sculpture gardens. "I didn't even know this place existed," he admits, letting his gaze wander around. "Are you sure you won't trip over all these tilts in those heels?"
He looks notably paler than the other night, with some darker than usual circles under his eyes.
"We both know I can use these heels to walk damn near anywhere, including up and down your spine," retorts the devil as he comes to stand beside Simon. "Are you feeling alright?"
Jasper made his way into the area. Long haired, but held back in a ponytail, with gold rimmed glasses, he cut a studious figure in what could only be considered professor chic - the rolled up sleeves and slacks really wishing for a sweatervest, but too hot for it. He took a look around when some mirth left his lips crinkled in a slight upturn of delight.
"I'm fine," he assures, unhooking his hands to flit one dismissively. "Why did you invite me here, of all places?"
Then there's footsteps coming into the gardens. Simon glances back with only half-interest, until he double takes when he sees who it is. His expression immediately sours.
"Because I thought that perhaps you might like it. It's one of the most unique places I'd found in the city so far, and it... speaks. Has much more personality than a lot of the usual bars, no? Besides, we used to go to exhibits back in the day, didn't we?"
Amon followed the look that could curdle milk and drank in that tall glass himself. "Ex of yours?" he guesses.
Jasper doesn't seem to notice the pair immediately, setting inside at a leisurely pace. He finds himself drawn inward, studious expression turned around. It seemed like he there was plenty here to make him happy even if his presence seemed the opposite to Simon.
"...No. He is a... current acquaintance." He rubs a hand over his face, pushing his glasses up momentarily to rub at his eyes.
"From me to a redhead? Interesting." Much to Simon's dismay, the devil doesn't avoid issues. They click-clack their way towards the Kindred with a genial smile.
"Heya." A small wave to get his attention. The full force of personable man was brought to bear as he stuck out a hand. "Amon. And you are? Besides handsome, that is."
Jasper seems taken aback to hear someone speaking to him, but when he took in the other, stopped, repeated the process twice, and then looked back up, he took the hand for a warm shake. "Jasper Wright. My, you're tall."
It's about then that he caught a glimpse of the man beyond the devil and raised a brow as if to question.
Welp, this is happening. As much as Simon wished he was a mage currently and could rewind time, it was happening. He drops his hand with a heavy sigh, pushing aside the scowl in favor of a calm, composed (but still ever-so-sharp) stare. He steps over to stand beside the taller man, hands clasping again behind his back. He just gives Jasper a look before glancing between the two men. "Jasper, Amon is an... old friend of mine." Yes, that friend.
"It seems you're his new friend," says Amon in the way that makes it quite obvious for everyone involved that he's well aware of that dynamic. "Since Simon and I were about to have an evening together, maybe you could join us?" suggests Amon before looking back to Simon. "Wouldn't you like that?"
Jasper's been doing this a long time, but this makes him pause to consider. He looks between the pair of them. "I suppose, if Simon didn't mind, I could accompany you if you wished?"
Simon clearly is not pleased with this turn of events. He keeps looking between the two men as if expecting one of them to pull a knife out of a pocket to start stabbing. Him? The other? Who knows. "...Of course," he replies after too long of a pause, feigning politeness and not doing a very good job of it. "You're welcome to stay, Jasper. I'm sure Amon will enjoy getting to know you." So he can torture Simon better.
"Oh, I will," agrees Amon brightly before placing a hand on Simon's shoulder to squeeze. "Just like the old days, huh?"
"How did you two meet?" asks Amon as he fast talks at Jasper. "Was it more of an instant friendship or something that built up? What sort of business are you in? Are you associates there?"
This is not the first time Jasper's been on the receiving end of such talk, but it is the first time in quite some time he's had to be careful about what he says during it. He steals a glance towards Simon as if to gauge his displeasure with him. "We met at a society function. Talked about crab cakes and history. Relatively boring. As for me? I take care of the elderly. I'm not sure what Simon does."
Simon seems to be accepting his oncoming doom, annoyance shifting to bitter apathy. Just watching the discussion unfold as if he were staring down an oncoming train. Too late for it to stop now. Such is the life of a Cursed man.
"It was hardly instant," he mutters.
"Oh no? How long have you two been seeing each other then?" asks Amon with a smile as they make their way further in.
"A few weeks," says Jasper without thinking. Then there's a stare at Simon as if afraid of the blowup that's about to make pompeii look like a minor firework.
Simon pauses at the realization that is has, indeed, only been a few weeks. He glances back at Jasper, but there's no blowup (yet). His gaze slides on, taking in the walls and sculptures as they move further inside. Despite his initial disgust (which hasn't completely faded), he does manage to find some things here and there to catch his attention.
Amon leans conspiratorially towards Jasper. "He acts hard, but he's in a good mood. He's actually enjoying this attention, even if he's going to try to read us for filth if we try to let him know it's ok."
Then click-clacking ahead. "It's like someone's dream here. I wonder what wonders this place has spawned."
"Amon is a narcissist who has convinced himself everyone who isn't actively trying to kill him is fawning over him." He squints up at a cluster of bicycle tires cemented into the wall. "And likely some, even in that case." He scoffs softly at Amon's comment. "Wonders?"
"I'd say you got me pegged, but that's for someone else to do," quips Amon before laughing jovially. "I'd tell you to lighten up and enjoy the sights, but then you'd make it about you wanting to eyefuck me in front of your boyfriend again," murmurs Amon more quietly.
"Still, interesting pieces, aren't they?" he asks as he considers everything around. "I wonder who thinks like this."
Jasper lagged behind a bit the others, but then he was catching up. A message sent off in his phone before deciding weighing in on either side likely too dangerous a position for the newcomer. "I like it here. It's whimsical in a way opposite a lot of what's common these days."
"He's not my boyfriend," Simon corrects curtly, giving Amon a sharp look.
His phone is silenced, but must be set to vibrate. He slides it from his pocket and thumbs the screen, staring down at it a second before tucking it away again. For a moment he just stares at a face on the wall made of mosaic pieces. "Someone who has far too much free time," he mutters like the buzzkill he is. At least he doesn't say poor people, but you know that's what he's thinking. "But I suppose it is interesting."
"You know, I think I'd like to get into art," muses Amon as he looks around. "Maybe next time, we could do a pottery class or something," he suggests to torture Simon with the casual intimacy of it all.
"Are you an artist, Jasper?" asks the devil of the competition teammate in breaking Simon other man.
Jasper shakes his head. "Not in the slightest. The best I can do is flower arrangement, and even that's not at the sort of professional level," he admits. There's a look between the pair before he ventures, "I've heard pottery is quite fun."
There's a little twitch at his eye, but he manages to keep his composure. "I'm not an artist, Amon. Merely a patron. But if you wish to make a spectacle of yourself, do as you may." He gives Jasper an 'e tu, brute?' look. "...Perhaps you should take a lesson together, then. Leave me out of it."
"Perhaps the three of us should take a lesson," counter offers Amon. "That is, unless you'd prefer to keep Jasper all to yourself?" It's a trap. Any way he answers is a trap, but isn't that how the Devil plays the game?
The Invictus had prepared him for this. It's usually when he turned invisible and walked out. There was a reason he didn't rise that far in it. But still, now he kept quiet.
Now Simon was back to looking annoyed. He glares daggers at Amon, eyes narrowing. "My apologies, but getting covered in mud is not my idea of a pleasant evening, no matter my company. You will have to find someone else to accompany you."
"Your apologize are worth less than mud if you don't actually mean you're sorry," says the amused devil. "Don't you remember watching Ghost? Clay's always fun. Last time we watched it, I made you come out to that shitty drive in where we -had that bottle of crown royal. Do you still drink crown?"
Jasper laid a hand every so subtly on Simon's back as if to keep him calm. "Ghost? I don't think I've ever seen it. I'd not been much of a cinephile." Hopefully steering the conversation away from angry places.
Simon squints at Amon for a moment, as if he were having trouble remembering what the fuck he's talking about. Him, drink Crown Royal??? But then something clicks and he huffs out a breath. "No. My tastes have refined over the years."
He glances towards Jasper when touched. "It's a romance about a woman falling in love with a ghost... or something. I don't recall anything other than the sex scene that involves making pottery."
"It's actually a very touching movie," says Amon in defense of it. "It's something that you can really feel the passion in, and at times, the pain. It's a good movie, but yes, they do have an erotic pottery scene. I blame that for why there's so many places to do pottery to this day."
"Seems like you've got a very particular focus on what you enjoyed from the movie," he offers lightly to Simon with a brief lift of his lips. "What are some of your favorite movies?" he opens the floor to the others.
He gives Jasper a Look then turns away to keep walking through the magical multi-colored maze. "I've never been one to enjoy movies very much. When I do, it's usually the classics. Now a days everything is cheap and soulless."
"Now that I'm thinking on it, I'd like to watch Witches of Eastwick again. It's dated, sure, but enjoyable." Amon clicks his way along. "Might be one of my favorites. Very much a careful what you wish for."
"Maybe you could always do a movie classics night," suggests Jasper.
For whatever reason, Calamity finds themself in south Philly, wandering around the Magic Gardens by evening, because sometimes you just need something pretty and fascinating to turn your brain off with. So they've slipped in (without buying a ticket, 'cause who's got the money for that?) and is making their slow way through the place. Their ratty gray hoodie is unzipped, the sleeve pushed up, and they've got a bandanna loosely tied around their neck. Jeans with a hole worn through one knee complete the picture of the teenaged ruffian that they are, and they barely give any of the other people in the place a second glance.
This is the sort of place Phaedra comes when she's got too much in her head and she wants to deal with external sensory overload in order to get some of the stuff inside to quiet down. The Mekhet is smol, with blonde hair tied back out of her face with a scrap of leather shoelace, dressed in a sleeveless dress and sandals, not really paying attention to things like tension in groups of older men that she's slipping past--at least until she recognizes one of them is as endowed with a Beast as she is, and she stops awkwardly right after brushing past the group to glance over her shoulder, head tilting to one side as she considers the knot before her.
"I don't think I've seen that one," Simon says with a glance towards Amon, before eyeing Jasper. "That at least sounds more agreeable than pottery." An olive branch, perhaps? At least sitting around watching movies involves less getting covered in dirt. And talking.
Usually, the others wandering the gardens only get uninterested passing glances. This man clearly believes himself above the common folk. Though seeing two (comparatively) youngsters wandering around at night does make him give a second evaluating glance. It's... not a pleasant look--but then again, when does he ever look pleasant?
For those just now tuning in, there is a tall drink of dark chocolate in heels probably a head and possibly shoulders above everyone else thanks to naturally good genetics, heels, and fairy magic. He looks to Simon, raising a brow before nodding. "That sounds good. I thought maybe after this, if you had time, we might finish off with a... nightcap..."
The words trailed as the devil himself caught sight of the sneak in the gray hoodie. There's a finger snap to get their attention. "Calamity?"
The feeling of the other Beast drew his gaze towards the haruspex. He took a moment before settling beside Jasper and holding a space to both say he's with me and not necessarily touch him at the same time. "That sounds like fun. The drink and the movies." Maybe encouraging the man out more... But there is a nod - maybe invitation? - to the other Shadow!
Phaedra nods visibly, acknowledging Jasper's unspoken message before Amon calling Calamity's name makes her look up with a soft-yet-audible 'fuck'. Her own eyes lock on her fellow youngster, and she sort of...freezes in place. Because this has just become a proper clusterfuck from where she's standing.
Calamity flinches at the snapping, but doesn't raise their head until Amon calls their name. "Mister...Nadir..." Their pale green eyes flick between the two other men, and then at the woman who swore.
"...Ohfuck." They freeze too.
The mention of a nightcap does wonders to improve his mood. Booze? Booze good. "Certainly," he replies to Amon. Then he looks very, very confused as the others seem to know these children--or at least be inviting them into conversation. The poor mortal looks rather bemused, but is currently rolling with things. "You know this child?" Simon questions the tall devil, while giving Calamity a look up and down. Assessing, judging--no where near oogling. He's not that sort of old rich creep. Then a look to Phaedra, looking between her and Jasper questioningly.
Amon nods his head. "This one's one of my clients. One staying out of trouble, I trust?" says the devil with a bemuses smirk. "Calamity Acosta, meet Simon Dubois and... I'm afraid I didn't get your last name, Jasper."
Jasper offers a, "Wright." Amon's way with a significant bit of eye towards the other Kindred. "Seems we've got a couple groups tonight. So Calamity, and who's your friend?" he offers between the 'youngsters'.
"Phaedra is my name." She rocks up to tiptoe and back down again, too nervous to stand still. "And I'm not sure if Calamity's my friend. I think I fucked that up already. I'm good at fucking things up."
The smile on her face is soft and self-deprecating, as she spares Calamity another small glance, before the bulk of her attention returns to Jasper.
"...Ah. Uh. Hi." They flash a thin-lipped smile at them all, raising their hand in a smallish kinda wave. And look at Phaedra with mild horror, 'cause...
"We...we were gonna be friends maybe and I fucked it up," they say at pretty much the same time.
And then they narrow their eyes just slightly, focusing on Simon. "...Simon Dubois...?"
"I see," Simon replies when introduced to Calamity, now evaluating them with interesting. Which is... honestly pretty fucking unnerving. "Must be quite the special case, if you chose to represent them."
He seems content to let this young folx drama play out though, looking between the two like this was a soap opera. Not the most intriguing of scripts, but entertaining enough. Until Calamity narrows their eyes at them. A brow lifts slowly over the rim of his glasses. "Yes. That is the name that was just said."
"Be on your best behavior," suggests Amon. "I've seen him eat children whole for casually misplaced titles." Or maybe the Changeling just wanted to rile a little bit of fear out of the other.
But then he's looking between Phaedra and Calamity. "This sounds like a story I've heard before, but now I need details. Dish, dish, dish."
Jasper chuckles lightly at Amon's antics before now has his hand out again to Simon's back as if to stop them from freaking out and snapping at people. "I have to admit - both feel they were at fault? Friendship impossible? It sounds delightful. Do go on."
Phaedra blinks, turning to Calamity properly now. "...we could still gonna be friends. If you wanted. Maybe. I'm not sorry for what I said, but I'm sorry I yelled at you."
The mental image of this young woman, built like a porcelain doll with big blue eyes and a sheepish sort of demeanor, more than a foot shorter than Amon before taking the heels into account, yelling at anyone might be an amusing one to those who haven't seen it.
"Heard your name before, 's all. From a couple'a friends, maybe." Simon gets an evaluating look right back - Calamity doesn't seem to be one to back down from unnerving shit. But they do shift uncomfortably at what Phaedra says.
"I uh...shouldn'ta gotten mad like I did, anyways." They run distracted fingers through their mass of dark curls. "Still wanna see about bein' your friend." A small smile, though the fact that they're doing this in front of three significantly older men makes them squirm, a little. What happened to talking about your feelings privately?
"I see," is all they reply with to Calamity. Mental notes taken for the future, however. Simon turns his assessing gaze upon Phaedra now, indeed trying to imagine the small young woman yelling at anyone. His hands hook behind his back again, falling quiet as he watches the two young folx talk out their issues. He's very glad to not have the attention so focused on himself for a while.
Amon does laugh at that image, putting a hand to his mouth. "Sorry, just... picturing that." He looks to the others. "Do you mind some company? Assuming they do decide on friendship, that is."
Jasper looks between the two and keeps playing therapy per for Simon. Keeping him calm. "I won't mind. We've got a few more alleyways to scrounge around before that nightcap, right?"
She tilts her head to one side, considering Amon quietly. "Is it funny to you for some reason?" Big blue eyes blinking innocently.
And then she flashes Calamity a smile. "I think...we're okay."
Calamity stays focused on Simon for just another moment before they turn to Amon. "Don't wanna ruin your evening by being around, Mister Nadir." They give him a bit of a smirk. Which warms slightly when Phaedra speaks. "I...cool. 'M glad."
Simon gives Amon and Jasper a look, still very much bemused at the idea of inviting two significantly younger people to share their evening--alas, not quite catching onto the inherent social tie that Jasper and Phaedra share. "...If you wish," he relents after a moment, shrugging. He looks back to regarding Phaedra and Calamity. "How heartwarming," Simon speaks up in a dry tone, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Good for you both, putting aside whatever petty frivolities that had you wound up."
"I'm just picturing this young thing here," with a gesture to Calamity, "being shouted down by what looks to be a sweet young thing. Though looks can be deceiving, can't they?" muses the one with a Mask.
"It seems I surround myself with people with something of a temper." He gesutres and then starts walking. "Come along, folks. The whimsy isn't going to explore itself."
"Be nice, please?" asks Jasper of Simon to not, well, invite more into their lives. As Amon starts to lead the way, he sticks close to his particular kine. "You can come with us to walk through here. I doubt you're old enough to go into the bar so when we head there, we'll part ways," suggests Jasper to the youngins.
"Excuse me. Neither myself nor Calamity are things." It's perfectly polite in tone, but she does that rocking motion again before following Amon and Jasper. "And I'm old enough, I'm just short."
Calamity rolls their eyes - once at Simon's sarcasm, and again at Amon's quip about tempers.
"Tell that to my ID, mister," they say to Jasper with a scoff. But really, this scrap of a person looks maybe 18. And a small eighteen at that.
Jasper's pleas at least keep Simon quiet. He follows along, walking beside the vampire. He even looks around at the walls with passing interest, here and there. He seems appeased by the promise that they will indeed be going to get a drink soon.
Calamity gets a very skeptical glance at their comment about ID, but then he speaks to both Phaedra and Calamity, asking with half-interest: "What is it you two do, then? Other than wandering around strange art exhibits after dark."
"I'll tell that directly to your ID if you'd like," says Amon without even a look back. "I hope that the one who does your fakes is better than I am at clocking them, though. It'd be a shame if it needed to be called in."
"But, of course, you don't have that issue do you? You've got someone to find somewhere to drink with on your own should you choose," comments the man with a grin over his shoulder. "Oh, and Jasper? I wasn't expecting a bar, but I don't mind a third."
"Duly noted," he says with a bit of his own smirk there. He keeps close to Simon, taking a thoughtful look as they go and stopping here and there. Content to let the others talk around him like a long-lived Shadow Invictus.
"I read tarot cards for a living--both private consultations and at a club with Victorian occult stylings. But it does leave me with a lot of free time to wander, I suppose. And strange art exhibits are an okay place to do so." She shrugs, her gaze lingering on Jasper more than anyone else in the group.
"Wander around wherever after dark - an' I run errands for a gang." They play it perfectly straight, so straight that they've gotta be joking. Right?
And then they huff out a laugh at Amon, and shake their head without replying. 'Cause really, what are they gonna say to that?
He ignores the other two men for a moment, regarding the other two with real interest now. Both of their confessions seem to bring him out of his bored grumpy stares. ...Still grumpy, just more attentive. "I see. What has drawn you to reading tarots?" Calamity gets a lingering stare and an almost... greedy gleam to his eyes? But no comment made.
Amon shakes his head at the comment, but doesn't move to save the kid from themselves.. Better to let them learn from their mistakes.
"What sort of deck do you use? Or is it a few sets that you keep for your tools?" poses Amon.
"And where is it one can get a reading?" asks Jasper to the other Mekhet with a glance back.
"Well, butchering sheep for to read their livers is less acceptable these days." She smiles innocently as she says that, before letting out a bit of a laugh. "I am a bit of a deck collector. While I started on the Hanson-Roberts, I'm also fond of the Fenestra and Paulina decks, and I recently got my hands on a new deck, the Usher deck. The artist is local and a friend of mine. As for where to get read, Penny Dreadful is where I work, or we can exchange numbers to set up an appointment."
Calamity listens with interest, though the specifics do seem to go over their head a little. Not well-versed in tarot, apparently.
Simon doesn't seem interested in getting a reading done for himself. That shit is dangerous. He's got enough trouble with Fate as it is. Still, he does nod along as she explains her decks, though who knows if he knows anything about them. "Do you have much experience with butchering sheep to read their entrails?" he asks casually.
"I know more than a few who still do the practice - though with rats in lockup. The details are finer to deal with, but very much something others worked around. Though I can't say I dabbled much with that portion of the occult," comments Amon.
"I'm familiar with Rhea. I met her just a couple weeks back there," comments Jasper. "It was an enjoyable evening. I'm looking forward to when I see her next. Perhaps drop my name when you do see her, hm?"
"I've done some stuff with bird entrails, it's a very primal method of haruspicy and really...pardon the pun, hands-on. Tarot is less messy and more acceptable in public." She smirks.
"And I'll mention you, of course. Jasper...Wright, I believe I heard?" The emphasis on his surname is light, carrying a hint of curiosity.
A brief flicker of disgust crosses Calamity's face at the talk of reading rat entrails, though it's quickly replaced by curiosity that intensifies when Phaedra mentions birds. And then they eye Jasper, catching her emphasis on the surname.
Simon's nose wrinkles a little in distaste, but it seems more at the thought of handling rats than regarding poking around at entrails. Weird priorities, apparently.
He also looks between Phaedra and Jasper, brows knitting a little. Starting to connect some dots.
"I imagine much kinder on your waste management bills as well," muses the Lost as they make their way clicking on through the passages. Unlike most, he's not focusing on Jasper.
"You heard correctly. Or you heard Wright," says the man with a small smirk at the pun. No shame. "We'll have to come by for a reading." Just another casual inclusion of Simon. Nothing to see here.
"I'll look forward to seeing you both. All three? Are you a throuple?" The question seems to be intended innocently.
Calamity goes pink and gives Amon a looks of mild horror - they do not want to know anything about his relationship status, apparently.
"Do as you like," he says to Jasper. "But I'd rather not dabble with such things." His cold stare turns upon Phaedra. "No."
"You don't touch the occult, Simon?" asks the Lost. "That's probably for the best. One knows the sorts of things that bringing a haunted doll into one's home can do."
Jasper ain't touching that one. Nope. Not a damn word, not a look, just letting those two handle all that.
"It's probably for the best that you don't dabble, yes. It's a very serious matter, not a game." She nods at Simon.
With the danger of learning Forbidden Information seemingly passed, Calamity calms down slightly, and nods along with Phaedra.
Simon eyes Amon quietly for a moment, but doesn't comment. Instead turns to meet Phaedra's wide eyes. "I don't need to be patronized. I know very well that fate is not a game."
It was Amon this time that swoops in for the save. He turns around, clapping his hands together. "As pleasant as this has been, Calamity, perhaps you ought to talk to your friend about tarot. We three are due for a nightcap."
Jasper looks between the sets before nodding his agreement. "Nice to meet all of you. I'll be by for a reading, I'm sure, Phaedra." Another soft touch of Simon. "Shall we?"
Simon's cold glare meets something deeper and colder, her expression clouding over like a summer's day suddenly turned stormy. Phaedra plants her feet, giving the awful mortal every bit of condensation he's given her and Calamity back in one instant of shadowy malice. "It may not be a game, but you're nothing but a pawn in its hands, Mr. Dubois."
Calamity deflates a little at Amon's clear dismissal, and most notably the touch of patronization that they get from it (whether it's truly there or not.) But they shrug and nod.
"Sure...yeah whatever. Uh." That last is to Phaedra, and they take half a step away from her as her demeanor shifts.
Simon meets her gaze, his own eyes darkening, sharpening into something dangerous. He very nearly takes a step closer to her, no doubt with ill intent--or at least to use his height to loom. But he clearly did not expect such potent malice to radiate from such a small girl, and her words strike something inside him. He hesitates, still meeting her eyes for a moment more.
But not willing to push his luck. Not right now, at least.
His lips curl into wild-eyed scowl before he turns on his heels and strides purposely out of the gardens. An attempt at a dramatic exit, but it truly just feels like a retreat.
Amon's all smiles and polite amusement with that rigid mask. It's hard to gauge anything beyond it besides for the little twiddle of his fingers in the air towards Calamity as he clicks his way past the others after Simon without another word in parting.
Jasper's look goes dull at the moment. The Invictus shakes his head. "I'd hoped for better," he states simply before taking his own go with a nod towards the gangster in parting as well.
"My apologies, Mister Wright." The darkness fades from her face again, and she looks sidelong at Calamity. "He was being rude, though. I don't like him, and didn't like how he treated either of us."
"He...I've heard of him, he's...not a good guy, yeah." But Calamity watches him leave with something approaching interest, all the same.
She huffs quietly. "So do you really run errands for a gang, Calamity?" Hands on her hips as she turns to face him properly. She doesn't turn on the full glaredown, this time, though.
"...Nah. I was just bein' an ass." They let out a nervous laugh and kinda shake their head. It's not particularly believable.
She pouts slightly. "Bullshit."
"It's - it's not like a real gang, like K&A or some shit, 's just a couple guys in my neighborhood I run with." Right, because casually mentioning the Irish mob like is really gonna help their case.
There's a silence she puts here, watching them more with disappointment in her gaze than anger, waiting to hear if they have anything more to say.
"...What?" It's a little defensive.
"That's a rough sort of life." She shrugs. "But. If it's what you want for yourself, I guess."
"'S better'n it was," they mutter. "Um. Don't - tell Fin? Please? I...I mean maybe they kinda already know, but like..."
She nods a bit. "Here, do you want to keep walking with me?"
"...Sure, I guess." A lukewarm response, but that seems pretty par for the course for them, and they walk alongside her without any complaint. "I uh...prob'ly would'a told you, 'bout the...not normal parts. Or if Finley had asked first, I just...'s shit I don't tell most anyone, an' -" They cut off with a pleading look at her.
Please understand, the look says. That it's all they fucking have that's theirs, and it felt like Finley stole it, a little.
She nods quietly again, and then holds a hand out, palm up quietly. An invitation.
A tentative smile slides across their face and they take her hand, squeezing it gently. "So um...how much did Finley tell you? And...how much do you wanna tell me about you?"
"Fire." She says just the one word, and then sighs. The hand holding Calamity's is warm as a human's would be. "I grew up psychic--a seer. Clairvoyant, interpreter of 'signs from God'. My family...used me because of it. More than used, abused. I was rescued a few years ago. I still see things, sometimes. Dreams now, sometimes. But, uh. I get to choose, you see. That matters, a lot, to me, getting to choose."
Calamity nods quietly, a flash of pain and sympathy in their eyes when Phaedra talks about the abuse. "Choosing's...yeah. It matters. I...no one knows about my shit, not really. Liked fire b'fore I..." they wiggle the fingers of their free hand, "so ev'ryone just kinda thought I was a weird kid. Parents kicked me out 'cause I was queer, not 'cause I could do shit, y'know? An' the guys don't know either, pretty sure they wouldn't get it. Or be scared'a me."
"Well, I'm not scared. Okay?" She squeezes their hand tight for a moment. "And I really really do want to be your friend. Please."
"I - I mean you know what it's like, so like..." Calamity huffs out a quiet laugh. "You...an' Finley, you're the same. Right?" They look her over, as if trying to assess her vampire-ness. Given that their one point of data is Finley, they don't seem to see much.
"...similar. Not exactly the same. And...the reason I'm like zhem is because of the person who rescued me, who gave me my choices, while it's not like that for zhem, exactly." She wrinkles her nose. "It's a fuck."
"Yeah, they...they told me a little about it. 'S bad fuckin' news. Glad zhe got away. Glad you both got away. I know zhe...zhe worries that - that the guys're like, shitty to me or whatever, but...I mean sure they're jackasses, but we all got each other's backs, an'...an' I don't think zhe gets that. An' I don't know how'ta explain it to zhem."
"I think...we've all been hurt, and like. Sometimes we look at others and accidentally see our hurt in them. You know?"
A slow nod. "Makes sense, I guess. Yeah. Zhe's uh...zhe's my best friend, 'm pretty fuckin' lucky zhe forgave me. An' you, too." Calamity squeezes her hand and flashes her a smile.
"Now we just need to make it alright with your other friend. The one who apparently poofed when we came in? Who stayed with me in the theater afterwards, when I was crying, after Finley poofed and you ran."
"Oh - yeah, Andy. I texted 'em to say sorry. Don't know 'em that well, but they seem pretty cool. And...prob'ly not normal, either." Calamity shrugs.
"Well. I mean. Definitely not normal." Phaedra lets out a warm laugh. "If they were surprised by me seeing them, I mean. I was...looking very hard right then."
"Yeah. We're gonna meet up at some point, maybe...all of us could. Sometime. Maybe?"
"Might be cool. Hang out with other people closer to my age. Though...I'm not quite as young as I look? Um. Y'know."
Calamity shrugs. "Pretty much everyone I hang out with's older'n me, so like...whatever? Like, that's why the guys're always giving me shit, 'cause I'm the youngest."
"I...wasn't trying to like, use that to give you shit. Just trying to make sure you knew, didn't want things to be weird." She shrugs. "Though...in some ways, things are always going to be weird. They always are."
"Shit's always weird," they agree with a nod. "Doesn't make it bad, though. Was just saying how I don't mind. 'Cause you're pretty cool. Could you like...read my tarot or whatever, someday?"
"Sure. I'm excited to do more readings with my new deck. It's a sharp little fucker." She laughs warmly. "I did a couple of test readings with it. Really clear, pretty direct."
"How does it work, like...I dunno, I don't know shit about fortune telling."
"It's easier to explain when I have the cards in front of me, but each is...symbols, archetypes, ideas. That together put together a picture of what was, what is, and what is still coming up. They're...not literal. Like, there's a card called Death, right? But it's not about dying, it's about change coming. And change is big and scary and often means an end to things as they were, but it's not always a catastrophe. The person who taught me how to read cards used to say a caterpillar thinks it's dying, when it makes a cocoon, and that's what the Death card is about."
They listen, nodding as she explains. "So like...Death mixed with a card that means somethin' good might mean...like a change for the better? Even if it's a big change?"
"Yes, exactly!" She nods. "...do you want to learn to read the cards, too? I have decks I don't use very often. I can teach you."
"..." They blink their pale green eyes at her. "Dunno 'f I'd be any good at it, isn't it like...a lotta shit to remember?"
"Well, kinda, but the cards have nice friendly pictures to help you." She grins.
"I...I dunno, I'd wanna like, get you to read 'em for me first I think. See how it is when they're all in front of me and shit."
"Sure. We can do that. For now, though...I should probably get going. But I'm glad we're okay, now, you and me."
"Yeah, I...I wanna be your friend. Glad I didn't fuck things up too bad." They squeeze her hand once more before they let it go. "See you 'round?"
She nods. "Yeah. I look forward to it." And then she heads for the exit, skipping a little instead of walking normally.
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