Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: crystaltears on 21-03-2009, 08:07:11</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>21-03-2009, 08:07:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica Dawes frowned when she realized who the order at the hotel was for. She was big into the occult, but not like the freaks that gathered at these events. She'd gone to one once, what a mistake. She'd never been asked to let someone suck her blood before, and she never intended to put herself in that position again. Still... There was no avoiding delivering them their pizzas, and.. if she was lucky they might tip well, it was a pretty big order at close to fifty dollars, the largest of the night.<br><br>She took a cursory glance at the large scans of Mapsco maps pinned up on the wall and planned her route, though she knew the area well enough she didn't really need to. She grabbed the receipt and checked the ticket. No request for pepper, no request for Parmesan, three two-liters. <em>'Just great...'</em> She would have a lot to carry.<br><br>She double bagged the two liters in her store bags and packed the pizzas all into the large carrying cases, the ones that hold up to ten a piece. They'd ordered several special deals, so it took two to get them all. She headed outside with the pizzas first, leaving the sodas on the counter. After setting them into the back of her car and buckling them into place she went inside. She took a handful each of red pepper and Parmesan packets and dropped them into the double bagged sodas. Then she was out the door and on her way.<br><br>The drive there was fifteen minutes, which was about the average drive if it wasn't right in the neighborhood. The longest drives were usually around twenty minutes, though sometimes in bad traffic they took longer. Pizza delivery kept a fairly short leash on drivers to keep expenses down. At minimum wage and only eighty cents compensation per delivery, Jessica was glad.<br><br>She pulled up to the side of the hotel and parked, then looked at the mess of pizzas and drinks and sighed. If it took two trips she lost time. She took the double bags first and put them over her elbow, a tad annoyed as they dug into her arm from their weight, then took one bag each of the large hot cases in her hands. She was thankful these weren't designed to be carried like the smaller ones that rest on top of the arm, it would have been very awkward, heavy, and hot.<br><br>She made her way inside, setting one of the big bags down to get the door and propping it with her foot. She couldn't feel the weight of the door on her tennis shoe. The lighting in the hotel was dim, people milled about in the halls. She knew the main entrance and sitting area would be worse, full of weirdos dressed in odd attire, some wearing fangs no doubt. She skipped it. The delivery was to the fourth floor. Just her luck that the elevators were broken. <br><br>The girl made her way up the stairs, feeling the sweat forming around her underarms. She was glad for the uniform now. The long sleeved, white shirt would be soaked through by the time she reached her floor, but others would not be able to see that through the navy blue overshirt of the Michael's Pizzas uniform. <br><br>The climb was not fun with such a bulky load, and heavy too, and her arm was beginning to hurt, but she was almost there so she sucked it up and moved on. This floor was full of rooms, door next to door, no large blank spaces on the walls from conference rooms. She moved down the hall until she reached Room 416. She set one bag down, slipped the sodas off her arms and rested them on the floor and adjusted her appearance. She re-tucked the front of her navy blue shirt into her black slacks looked down and made sure her shoes looked alright, which they did, and retied her unruly, brown hair into the ponytail she was required to wear it in. Lastly she adjusted her name-tag. The pin had come loose, a common occurrence, but at least this time it was loose in the fabric and hadn't stabbed her. It rested right above her left breast and was always rather annoying when it pierced through both layers of her clothes.<br><br>Convinced she looked the best she could given the time of night and the length of her shift, she knocked. She lifted the second bag of pizzas before anyone could reach the door, and waited to greet the person she was delivering to with a convincing smile on her lips and in her green eyes...<br><br><span style="font-size: 0.7em;" class="bbc_size">Edit: Bad Typos! &gt;.&lt;</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>21-03-2009, 17:40:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After a moment, the door of 416 opened, revealing a middle aged man wearing a pair of Spock ears, a hotel bathrobe left hanging open, and a pair of Spiderman boxer shorts. A sizable gut hung over the band of his boxers and was covered in a man pelt of wiry dark brown hair. Ugg. Behind him, Jessica could make out many other similarly undressed people engaging in a spirited game that seemed to involve a combination of Jenga, Twister, and hard liquor. Bathrobe guy sighed, "Geez, finally. Pizza's here!" His tone seemed to imply that he'd expected someone to 'beam' it right out of the oven and into his hotel room.<br><br>Not looking good for the tip.<br><br>Suddenly, shattering glass could be heard from somewhere down the hall, immediately followed with a cry of pain, a male cry. More banging, cursing, and sounds of violence could be heard, then the same voice as before called out, "No, no, no, noooo!"<br><br>The door to room 420 exploded in a shower of wood splinters as a man's body came rocketing through and slammed into the opposite wall, leaving a back shaped crater in the plaster. The amazing projectile man just hung there for a split second as if suspended in time, then fell to the floor on knees and elbows. He coughed, rich, crimson blood falling from his lips to soil the institutional carpet below.<br><br>The man looked to be in his mid twenties with short, spiky black hair and an eyebrow piercing. He had a lean, lanky frame, like runner or skateboarder, and was dressed simply enough. His comfortable denim jeans had patches in the seat and knees. His black tee shirt, recently torn at one shoulder, read 'Question Everything' in bold white leathers, and was now stained with blood, probably his own. His feet were bare and cut in a few places. Honestly, he'd looked like someone had been throwing him around like a ragdoll, which was oddly appropriate, given the situation.<br><br>Bathrobe Trekkie quickly slammed the door closed and flipped the deadbolt, because that would surely keep out whomever had just thrown the incredible flying boy through a door. Of course, in his panic, he did forget both his pizza, and the nice lady who'd brought them. And they say chivalry is dead. <br><br>Kneeling on the floor and bleeding, the hall's new arrival seemed to be praying based on the way his head was bowed and the way his lips were moving. Which was a bit silly perhaps. He should have been running, considering that whatever had thrown him throw that door was coming, and soon.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>21-03-2009, 17:54:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessice couldn't help but want to gag at the man who'd opened the door, but she didn't. In response to his almost-complaint of a declaration of her arrival she said, "Hello, how are you today?" in a cheerful tone. She didn't get time to say anything more, and neither did the disgustingly under dressed man.<br><br>The sound of glass drew her attention, and she looked in it's general direction. All she saw was a row of doors, but she knew where the sound had come from, sort of. ore noise followed, narrowing her suspicions, but nothing from the strange noises prepared her for the splintering of the room door. For a moment she was torn between running and ducking for cover, but her eyes fixed on the projectile... A human, and he seemed... relatively unharmed. His next actions also held her attention, though she felt he was insane for staying there.<br><br>"Hey, you, get outta there!" She shouted, trying to wrest him from his prayer, if that's what it was. Her eyes moved toward the splintered door, but she was making her way away, walking backward. She knew she should have been running. The man behind the now-bolted door had the right idea, but some part of her was curious what was happening. She loved the Occult, after all, and this... This was not normal.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>21-03-2009, 19:46:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Hey, you, get outta there!" </blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He looked over at her and flashed a grim sort of grin, despite the pain he must have been in. <strong>"Can't. It's faster than me."</strong> His eyes were a startling blue and intense as he seemed to somehow take all of her in with a single glance. He looked back down to the floor, struggled and pushed himself back to his feet, just as a shadow eclipsed him.<br><br>The assailant had arrived. The man was huge, perhaps six and a half feet tall and broadly build, like a football player. He was also impossibly handsome with wavy blond hair, perfectly symmetrical features, liquid blue eyes, and even a Kurt Douglas dimple in the middle of his strong chin. Jarringly, he was dressed entirely in black, from his boots to his cargo pants, to his turtleneck and leather gloves. One might assume he was up to no good just from that, but what was far more disturbing was the complete lack of emotion as he stepped forward, grabbed the wounded man by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him back into the wall, deepening the existing crater.<br><br>Gurgling, the black haired, counterculture gentleman's face turned bright red as his attacker began to squeeze. His legs flailed and thrashed, but the attacker seemed completely unfazed and unmoved, even when a kick caught him right between the legs. Just when it looked like this battle was a forgone conclusion, the victim drew an ornate looking dagger from a concealed sheath behind his back and viciously stabbed it into the... wall?<br><br>As he stabbed the wall, the dark haired man went stiff as the hall lights began to flicker and the smell of ozone filled the room. He groaned through clenched teeth as the current flowed through him and into his attacker, who uttered not a sound. The hallway plunged into darkness, and there was a loud 'thump'.<br><br>Seconds later, as the emergency lights came back on, the linebacker was lying on the floor twitching while the smaller man was standing there with steam rising off his shoulders. He sheathed the blade behind his back and shook his head. <strong>"Brrrahhh! Woo! That's a rush."</strong> He looked back over to her, <strong>"Scram. They never work alone."</strong> His moral obligation to the sleeper fulfilled, he walked back into his room to grab his things.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>22-03-2009, 22:59:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She took in his appearance more thoroughly now that he was looking at her, his startling blue eyes would stay with her for months at least just from her first sight of them. She was torn between moving forward to help him and staying there for a few moments, but then came the other man. He was giant, and she knew she'd be able to do little to help.<br><br>In the meantime though she backed further down the hall and took out her cel phone, still watching, she fumbled while dialing. The scene was very distracting. The huge man had Blue Eyes by the throat and had added a few inches to the crater. She wondered that the wall hadn't caved through.<br><br>She saw Blue Eyes pull a knife, a rather strange one, and her attention was transfixed with her finger over the call button and 911 displayed digitally on her flip phone's screen. He stabbed the wall... <em>'The wall?'</em><br><br>She didn't understand it, she certainly wouldn't have done that. Jessica's eyes widened at what she saw next. She couldn't explain it except through her theories about the occult and magic, and those things were the sorts of things you never really let yourself believe, at least not completely. <br><br>The way he hadn't been afraid, the way he exclaimed what a rush it was, they made her more curious. Her eyes moved to the steam coming off of him and she wondered, <em>'Am I dreaming?'</em> She never had such vivid dreams though, and usually her dreams were about darker things, vampires, werewolves.... <br><br>She followed him to the room door with her cellular phone still in hand and watched him, not saying a word at first, her pizza was forgotten on the floor by the door she was making the delivery too as was the fee she was owed. As he was almost finished collecting his possessions she finally managed, "How?" A single word that would suffice as a question in itself. And she flipped the phone closed, not making the call in the end, not sure what she would have said if she had made it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>23-03-2009, 01:56:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His room, predictably, was a mess. Broken balcony door, smashed coffee table, shattered mirrors. There'd clearly been a brawl in here. Nothing in the room personalized it to him, beyond his white tennis shoes at the foot of his bed, one of which he'd already put on.<br><br><strong>"How is a dangerous question, Jessica,"</strong> he replied from his seat on the bed as he stuffed his bloody foot into a sock. Despite the cuts she had seen earlier, he seemed to still be moving around pretty well, although his voice was a bit raspy, perhaps from being choked. Also, there was nothing supernatural about his use of her name. He's simply read her name tag, earlier. <strong>"Then again, most things of worth tend to be, at least in my experience.</strong>" He pulled on his sneaker, and briskly began tying it as he continued, <strong>"In this situation, I'm afraid to say it's ultimately a rather irrelevant question... no offense."</strong><br><br>Rising, he placed a hand over his heart, <strong>"Not trying to be rude, although that much have sounded awful. The fact is, that come morning you'll have rationalized this away as something reasonable, something that fits into the existing paradigm of how you believe the world works, and that's basically a good thing. It'll keep you healthy, sane, and out of trouble."</strong><br><br>He grabbed up a knapsack and tossed it over his shoulder before walking past her, back into the hall, where he snapped his fingers and looked back at her as if he'd forgotten something. <strong>"It occurs to me, that as a pizza delivery driver, you've reliable transportation and food. I could use both. How about we make a deal. You get me out of this hotel before either of us are killed and we can go to the park, have a nice late night picnic with pizza under the stars, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Can't promise you'll believe any of it, but what the hell, right?"</strong><br><br>He offered his hand, which had stopped steaming around a minute ago, <strong>"I'm Baxter. Baxter Peters."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>23-03-2009, 03:23:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica listened to him, feeling a little offended at the implication that she'd somehow rationalize the events she'd just seen transpire, but she didn't say anything to that effect. When he pushed past her into the hall she let him and started to turn herself while shaking her head when he snapped and looked back at her.<br><br>She eyed him, a look of mild annoyance but also of curiosity. No horror or fear was left in her eyes as she glanced back to the fallen body of his large assailant. After a few moments she looked at him and nodded, "Sure." She moved to the other door where she'd been making a delivery and picked up the pizza. "You can carry one of these though," she said as she nudged her foot into the other large hot bag full of fresh pizzas.<br><br>She stooped over and took the bag of sodas in her other hand and started making her way back to the stairs, not looking to see if the strange, intense man was following her. <em>'I should get my payment and go back to the store... Screw it, can't stand tonight's manager anyhow.'</em> And as she was going down the stairs she had an added thought, <em>'Can always tell him I got mugged on the scene.'</em><br><br>When she reached her car she opened the driver's seat and clicked the button to unlock the other doors. She opened the back seat and put the bag she'd carried into it, buckling it in so it wouldn't slide. She looked for the strange man at this point, bag with the sodas still in hand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>23-03-2009, 04:02:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Although she'd heard him following her, as she looked back, she didn't see him. What she did see was the giant from before, exiting an elevator on the other side of the garage. Except he'd changed his clothes and was wearing... A Star Trek uniform complete with Spock ears? Moments later, the stairwell door opened and a second blond haired, blue eyed giant walked in, identical to the first save for his clothing. This one was dressed like a member of the hotel's staff, wearing perhaps the largest maroon suit in all of creation.<br><br>Not only did the two giants look exactly the same, they walked the same, their steps rising and falling at the same time as they each walked toward the car in eerie, silent, synchronicity with expressionless faces. <br><br>Baxter popped up from the back end of her car, having finished slipping a piece of paper around the license plate. He quickly moved to the passenger seat, opened the door and slipped inside with the hot pizzas on his lap. "Don't let me worry you overmuch, Jessica, but if those two Adams reach us, we both could very well die. I've already pushed things about as far as I safely can for one night." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>23-03-2009, 06:45:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica blinked upon seeing the two and wondered where her <em>friend</em> had gone. She started feeling butterflies in her stomach, but then he reappeared from behind her car and got in the back. His words chilled her to the core and she slid in the driver's seat. "Well then, you'd best buckle up." Was all she said before turning the key in the ignition and putting her car in reverse. Unfortunately it wasn't a manual shift, so she didn't have quite as much control, but still... Two years of delivering pizza in rush hour traffic with a thirty minute deadline and you know <em>exactly</em> what your car is capable of.<br><br>She dropped the sodas at the foot of the passenger seat and hit the gas, turning as she did so and missing a car parked beside her by less than an inch. She saw them start running as her rear view mirror caught them in its span and she chuckled a little. "Oh <em>come on</em>." She said as she hit the gas and peeled out of the lot toward the entrance. She swerved around a corner, fishtailing the car a little as she did so, but stopping her from having to slow down as much and hit the gas again. <br><br>She figured they were home free, but still was going forty miles per hour through the garage, a speed she was certain was against the hotel rules, if not the law. She slowed down for the next corner, thinking it best not to speed past the attendant with the 'Michael's Pizza' sign on and lit on the top of her car. She rolled the window down to have a brief word with the attendant, who had let her through without one of the tickets to track the time since she was only making a delivery.<br><br>He looked agitated, and her guess as to why was confirmed when he spoke, "Was that your car I heard peel out in there?"<br><br>She felt her face flush a little and a sense of urgency, she decided to be honest and apologetic, people seemed to respond better to that when they were suspicious and agitated. "Yeah, I'm sorry, the delivery took longer than intended."<br><br>He looked skeptical, but seemed willing to accept that. "I guess it's alright, try not to do it again..." He eyed the glowing sign on the top of her car and she wondered if she would hear about this from her boss.<br><br>Then she had a rude reminder of why she shouldn't be paying attention to that. A loud thud on the back of her car drew her attention and one of the 'Adams' had just caught them. She didn't see the other and hit the gas in sheer reaction, to her horror when she looked forward again the other was in front of her car, or had been...<br><br>The ride was bumpy and she felt sick inside as she was driving away. Looking in the rear view mirror she saw that the one dressed as a fan hadn't even stopped to help the hotel-dressed one up, and then she saw why.. <em>'He... just... stood back up...'</em> Her queasy feeling vanished and was quickly replaced by a mix of shock, fear, and adrenaline to the sound of Baxter murmuring, "Faster, faster please."<br><br>She happily obliged, hitting the gas again and seeing them chasing her even as she hit 10, 15, 20, 25 miles per hour. <em>'That's... really fast...'</em> Soon though, she was leaving them behind at 40 miles per hour, and then 50. She hit the highway and drove for a little while on it, eventually looking at Baxter in rear view and asking, "What... are those.. things?" She couldn't ask who, she didn't feel like they could be 'who's...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>23-03-2009, 22:26:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>"Well, that was certainly exciting."</strong> Baxter commented lightly when they were back out onto the highway, quietly easing his dagger back into it's sheath, hopefully without the sleeper noticing. While she was handling everything remarkably well, a psycho with a dagger in the back seat might just be the straw.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"What... are those.. things?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He met her reflected gaze and shrugged slightly, "I call them Adams. Basically, they're vat grown, genetically engineered ubermensch used as shock trooped and bodyguards by certain factions of the powers that be. Those particular Adams were remarkable in that they weren't the top of the line model, which tells me a lot about the guy I ticked off tonight. He's on the outs with the Union, which won't mean much to you, but makes me considerably happier. The latest Adam models can top forty miles per hour." Nothing in his expression or in the tone of his voice would lead her to be he was trying to lie to her or be deceptive. So, clearly, he was insane. Of course, the entire evening had turned insane, so he sort of fit in.<br><br>Leaning over, Baxter sniffed his pizza box, then looked back up at her, "I know that just posed more questions than it answered, and as promised, I will tell you whatever you like, but first, could we get somewhere so I can eat some of them delicious food before the heat parboils my privates, hmm?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>24-03-2009, 04:47:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She eyed Baxter in the glass again. <em>'Exciting...'</em> She found the sentiment a little strange, but then hadn't she watched him electrocute someone by stabbing a dagger into a hotel wall and not been overly distressed about that. But this was different. She'd run someone over. Still, he had promised answers, and the answer he gave made her mind soar before she finally nodded to his last question. "Park it is, Baxter."<br><br>With that said she made her way toward the nearest park, trusting in the hour of the night to keep them mostly protected from the prying eyes and ears of strangers. Besides, after the last explanation he'd given her it was unlikely any strangers that did overhear them would believe what they heard.<br><br>When they arrived she parked, popped the hood and trunk of her car, and opened the doors. After he got out she locked them and grabbed the sodas and the one bag of pizzas. There was no way they'd eat all of this, but hell, at least they'd have variety.<br><br>She moved to the front of the car and disconnected the chord that powered the sign on top of her car and pocketed the cable. She slipped the sign off the top without damaging the vehicle with its magnets and put it in the trunk. Then she closed the hood, the trunk, and the driver's side door and reclaimed the pizzas and sodas. "Well, shall we?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>24-03-2009, 04:59:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While not exactly a gentleman, Baxter wasn't above doing his fair share, so slipped his hand into plastic soda bag, fingers sliding along hers before he slipped the bag away from her. "I know this park," he said with a smile and turned to head deeper in. As he walked away, she noticed two clear things. First, he'd left his bag in her back seat. Second, he wasn't walking like someone who'd been beaten up earlier. Other than some drying blood on some different parts of his exposed skin, he looked hale and healthy.<br><br>Another trivia bit was that when he'd touched her, he'd felt real. The normal sort of shiver that comes from touching someone's hand for the first time, sure,&nbsp; but no static electricity or anything like that. His touch just felt... normal, unlike so much she'd seen since meeting him.<br><br>He led her to a park bench that overlooked an artificial pond. Thanks to the proximity of the water, the homeless didn't like this particular bench, as when the wind was blowing, it could be an extremely chilly place to sleep. Thankfully, while overcast tonight, the wind was practically nonexistent as he had a seat and began rifling through the bag, "Hmmm, are you a Pepsi or Mountain Dew girl, Jessica? Think I'll have the Sierra Mist. Not a big caffeine fan. Makes me jumpy." Being nearly killed and chased by vat grown mooks didn't seem to faze him, but he passed on the cola. Go figure."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>26-03-2009, 02:29:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica walked with Baxter, not sure what to make of him or the night, but she knew she wasn't going to let herself rationalize it, especially not after running someone over. She took a seat on the bench and took the Mountain Dew, "Prefer Coke myself, but oh well." Coke hadn't been on the order, but the Mountain Dew would suffice. She watched him for a moment before reaching in her bag and pulling out two boxes of pizza. The first one had anchovies, which she didn't care for, but the second was just plain pepperoni. She took a slice before offering it to Baxter for him to do the same and let her eyes wander out over the pond.<br><br>She looked in it as though for deeper meaning, but really she was looking in herself. As light from the moon, stars, and other sources danced over the water's surface between the clouds and from the streetlights her eyes moved in their wake. Her thoughts were introspective however. She questioned her own sanity for a while as she ate the slice of pizza and started making a list of what to ask him. The first thing on it was naturally, <em>'How'd you do the thing with the dagger in the hallway?'</em> <br><br>Following that were many others and as they ate she tried to put them in some form of order. <em>'I'm so getting fired from work,'</em> She absently reflected. It seemed a little thing in respect to what had happened in the hallway and on the street leaving the hotel. A very little thing. When he'd had some time to eat a little she turned toward him, leaning against the back of the bench at an angle with one leg bent on the seat. "So... How'd you what you did in the hall? Specifically... why did you put the dagger in the wall?" She asked, eyes resting intently on Baxter's face.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>26-03-2009, 03:45:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Anchovies?" Baxter shuddered a moment, then looked up at the stars above. "If there is a kind and just god, there would have been a mistake in your store and there would be an edible pizza in this box." He waved his hands over the box for a moment, literally said, "Hocus Pocus..." then opened the box to reveal... an anchovy pizza.<br><br>"Bet you really thought there'd be something different in there for a moment. For a split second as I opened the box, the pizza inside was like Schrodinger's Pizza, it could have been anything." He flashed her a sidelong grin, "I love things like that, but I hate anchovies." He dropped the box to the side and grabbed a wedge of her pepperoni. <br><br>Baxter leaned back on the bench, crossing his feet at the ankles and staring up at the sky as he folded the slice in half and ate it in healthy bites, perhaps pointing to a New York heritage. He seemed content to just sit there and eat his dinner while she gathered her thoughts, lost in his own world. Perhaps he was trying to process the weird things he'd seen today, but somehow she doubted it. He seemed too... centered. Too at peace with the weirdness swirling about him.<br><br>At her question, he just smiled, still stargazing. "Sounds like such a small question, doesn't it? It should. It's the same question you asked in the hotel room, just with more words. No easier to answer though." He munched on a piece of crust for a moment, then continued, "Short answer, it was magic." He turned to look at her, "Really, it was magic. I know it's crazy and it sounds like a bullshit answer, but it was magic, and I'm a mage. Now, specifically, when I was first thrown into the hall, I was focusing my will by chanting a Sutra I'm fond of. As I did so, I was turning back the clock on some damage my body had taken, because I was pretty beat up by that point."<br><br>He sighed and snared a fresh piece of pizza, "As far as the dagger in the wall trick, I tweaked the strands of fate to steal the Adam's luck, then stabbed the wall next to one of the wall light. I was so charged with potential right there, the dagger luckily found a power line and electrocuted the Adam while leaving me all tingly fresh. You've probably read stories about that happening in the papers before. Some lucky guy gets struck by lightning and the lady he's holding hands with gets zapped?"<br><br>"Of course, none of that really explains 'how'. To really understand the 'how' of things, you're going to need to jump way down the rabbit hole, because what I've said thus far is kiddy stuff compared to how weird answering 'how' can get." He grinned and bumped her with his shoulder, "So what do you say, Alice? Chasing the rabbit, or changing topics to something safer?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>26-03-2009, 20:23:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica eyed him as he pulled his Hocus Pocus stunt, and had to admit afterward she really had wondered if he had changed the pizza. She chuckled and shook her head a little. "I, I did for a moment, I have to admit..." Her cheeks flushed a little, though she saw no reason for them to. After the things she'd witnessed the night before it was a plausible reaction.<br><br>Then there was a time of silence, in which Baxter seemed almost as introspective as she did. She wondered what he thought about a little, but mostly she tried to form a list of questions. When she finally asked one she both was and was not prepared for his answer. <em>'Magic... and he's a Mage... and he stole the luck from the 'Adam' to find a powerline.'</em> She'd stopped eating, suddenly not feeling overly hungry as the wheels in her mind began to whir a little quicker.<br><br>She met his eyes, examined them to be sure she didn't read mischief in them, but no, he was being serious. <em>'Down the rabbit hole... I.. hope I'm not getting into something way over my head.'</em> Of course, she knew she was. Tonight she had displayed a rather reckless side of herself, a side she wasn't even sure she knew existed. She'd stood nearby as the giant of man had started strangling Baxter and had watched Baxter stab into the wall and shock him. Did she run? Did she cower? No, she followed him to what had been the door of his room to ask 'How?'. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she thought about that. <em>'I never knew I had that kinf od nerve.'</em><br><br>"Alright," she answered, "Let's see what's down the rabbit hole. I always hated that white rabbit, more for the Cheshire Cat myself." She gave him a small wink as her nerves settled and she knew this was the decision she wanted to make. Still, as an afterthought came the unbidden cautions of her... maybe her conscience... <em>'Don't get in too deep.'</em> But for now she ignored it, and later it would probably be too late.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>26-03-2009, 20:55:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. Let's start small. You're probably familiar with the 4 minute mile. Basically, it's today's standard for men's running events. Well, middle distance running anyway." He waved a hand, "That doesn't really matter. What does matter is that people thought it was impossible. It was completely impossible, unthinkable for a human athlete to run a mile in under four minutes."<br><br>Baxter got another slice of pizza, his appetite unaffected by the oddness of the evening. "And they were right. It was impossible. For over 100 years people tried to beat that record. Nothing." He took a bite and chewed for a bit, "Then, In 1954, two years after the Olympics, a British chap by the name of Bannister broke the 4 minute barrier. Less that two months after that, an Australian guy does the same thing. Nowadays, it's nothing. The 4 minute mark is the baseline for being a decent competitive runner, but you're expected to be faster. Why is that? Well, it's because we know it can be done. It's just an accepted fact that men can break that barrier. No ladies have hit it yet, but it'll come."<br><br>"Reality, Jessica, and this is were I start sounding /really/ crazy. Reality is what we believe. We believed the 4 minute mile, or the sound barrier, or whatever else couldn't be broken, so they weren't, until some brave souls proved they could be, and we accepted the paradigm shift. Once you understand, really understand that, you can start bending reality to better reflect what you believe. And that, my dear, is what magic is. Momentarily slipping the bonds of consensual reality to do what you know is possible, if only more people believed it." He lifted his slice of people to her as an impromptu toast and took another bite, washing it down with lemon lime soda.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 05:13:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica listened to him, nodding when he asked about the 4 minute mile. Everyone had heard of that, hadn't they? <em>'So.. Magic is faith driven... Which would explain the lack of miracles in the world of late compared to in Biblical times.'</em> Interestingly enough Jessica was not Christian, however she studied religions deeply, their roots tied into many subjects of the occult.<br><br>Magic. A thought she should have balked at. Magic didn't exist, or so she'd been told as a child, but what else could have produced what she'd seen tonight? Luck? <em>'No... Not luck, he was counting on it, no one's that reckless... You don't run over someone and have them live through luck... Which reminds me...'</em> She kept her mind open and kept listening. <br><br>She nodded a little, "I suppose that makes some sense.. But I have another question now, Baxter. what did those... 'Adams'... want with you?" She had no better name for the men so she used his own. She was curious why they had been chasing him through the hotel, what he'd done to earn that kind of attention. She smirked when he raised the pizza to her, an odd gesture, but not one that bothered her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 05:54:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That's a funny story and requires additional explanation." He reached over to take her hand and place it over his heart, "You can't feel it, which makes this gesture dramatic, but basically pointless, but there's a spark inside all of us. A... bit of&nbsp; concentrated possibility and wonder that allows us to realize we could be something more, something greater than we are. A bit of divinity, if you want to call it that. We call it an Avatar, and by nuturing and strengthen that Avatar, we become better at shaping reality. It how we become stronger as mages."<br><br>"So..." He blinked and looked down at her hand on his chest as if he'd forgotten how it got there. He looked back up at her and released her hand with a quick, "Sorry." Baxter cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Where was I... right! Yes. Why were the Adam's chasing me?"<br><br>"Basically, the guy who manages and created those Adams is part of a conspiracy to keep people like you for knowing what people like me have figured out. I really don't want to tell you too much about that conspiracy, because just knowing my crazy stuff is alright, but knowing about them makes you dangerous." Baxter turned to face her, bringing his leg up onto the bench and leaning elbow onto the back, "So, no asking about them tonight. You'll need to get me liquored up or something first."<br><br>"Back to the question at hand. This guy I ticked off was researching a way to separate people from their avatars. Basically, he wants to make it harder for people like you to turn into people like me by making it harder to hear that little voice in the back of your soul that says you can do anything you put your mind to. Now, his friends have been doing that for centuries with television and religion and public schools and class structures and every damn thing else in the world. What made this guy special is that he was going to do it with a biochemical and brand it as a diet pill." Baxter sighed and shook his head. "It's bad enough that society tries to cram unnatural body images down people's throats, but now they're trying to make the diet pills /literally/ soul destroying."<br><br>"So, I stole his formula, lab notes, and a sample. I'll turn it over to some friends on mine and see what we can do to fight this thing. With luck, he was too paranoid to keep good backups, but I play with fate too much to trust in luck." With a grin, Baxter wriggled his eyebrows at her. <br><br>"So, out of curiosity, you didn't like this whole pizza delivery gig, did you? I'm willing to bet that you're really, really fired." He shrugged and bobbed his head, "Unless you're really fond of it. I could tweak things in your favor if being fired would be bad for you."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 06:41:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica's dark eyebrow arched as he rested her hand on his chest. It occurred to her that the gesture would have been much more odd had she been the one to pull his hand there, but she brushed the thought from her mind, listening to what he had to say. She listened to him talking about the spark of potential inside a person and found herself wondering, <em>'Is there such a spark in me?'</em> Doubt immediately followed.<br><br>She smirked a little as he eyed her hand with an odd expression, thinking him a bit silly for forgetting as he released it quickly and apologized. She shook her head side to side making the ponytail sway a little as she pulled it back and opened the Mountain Dew for another drink. He continued...<br><br>Another chuckle escaped when he said she'd have to get him liquored up and she made a mental note to comment on that one when he'd said his piece. She raised an eyebrow when he said he didn't trust in luck considering what he'd done in the hall. Soon following the statement came another about changing luck. <em>'Well, maybe that's just why he doesn't. Change something enough and you begin to wonder who else can touch it...'</em><br><br>"It's not that I like it per se, but it pays the bills. I would like to keep my job, but I think with enough finagling and a good excuse on my part... Like the door next to my delivery room bursting into a thousand pieces and the customer bolting me out... I can probably keep it." She winked at him, and continued, "So.. When are we getting liquored up now? I hadn't realized I'd made such a good impression in this old uniform." It was amazing to Jessica how relaxed she was. She should have been anything but, and yet at this moment in time she felt like nothing in the world could unnerve her.<br><br>"And... Also, what now? You're probably going to completely disappear and I will be left with the memory of this crazy night I got this big order from the goddamn convention over at the hotel and saw these insane things happen, but I won't hear from your for years and eventually will doubt my own sanity." She sounded vaguely amused and vaguely curious if that was indeed what would happen.<br><br>"Which brings me to another note. I know you <em>say</em> you're crazy... But I'm guessing you don't <em>actually</em> believe it of yourself?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 07:32:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Done." Baxter winked at her, "When you talk to your boss about tonight, he'll be amazingly responsive. Just give him whatever excuse you like and he'll accept it. Tell him you were mugged by rogue oompha loomphas. I don't care. The least I can do is make sure you won't be fired."<br><br>Confidence. It was his confidence that was really disarming. He spoke as though he'd already hopped onto the loom of fate and rewritten her destiny while sitting there eating pizza and eating soda. It was uncanny to say the least.<br><br>Of course, that confidence seemed to flicker a bit as she asked him about drinks. "Oh, drinks, yes... Your uniform is very nice." Baxter's eyes dropped to her check for a moment before he blinked and ripped his eyes back up to her face, "Uhh, you know, I'm not that great with people. Pretend I'm still doing the suave, magic secret agent thing and we'll get back to the drink question a bit later." He crossed his heart in a silent promise.<br><br>Moving back into more familiar territory, he decided to answer another of her questions, "I had sort of planned on disappearing and leaving you to go back to your life. Safer that way for both of us really. This lifestyle doesn't tend to have a happy ending... well, my lifestyle. Not yours. You seem awfully together, so I suspect your life could be just fine."<br><br>"Ugg... you threw me with the drinks thing." He ran his hands back through his hair. "Didn't expect that. Not your bad. Honest. I've been tongue tied around women my whole life. Now that I'm thinking of you as an attractive woman, it's distracting me. Or I'm just having some Paradox feedback... maybe both."<br><br>"Crazy!" He looked back at her suddenly. "You asked me if I thought I was crazy." Baxter grinned, apparently righting his train of thought. "Yes. By all classic measures, I'm as mad as a hatter, at least based on the commonly held understanding of reality. I literally see the world a different way that the people around me do, but based on my perception of reality, I'm completely sane, except for being flustered by women, and it's you who're batshit crazy for not being able to understand things the way I do. No offense."<br><br>"So... from here. My advice is to go home, drink yourself stupid, and wake up tomorrow afternoon back in the world of sense and sensibility. You will rationalize this all away in time and come out the other side non the worse to wear." He leaned his head onto his curled fist, "If you can't do that. If this just eats at you, drives you, won't let you rest... well we can take it from there. I can show you a path, but I'll never make you walk one. That's not my place. Just know that my life is dangerous. People I've never met or wronged want to kill me just because of what I know and what I can do. The same would apply to you. If that's an acceptable risk, then you're crazy too, and we'll have to get that drink."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 08:59:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica watched Baxter as he spoke, a little amused that it seemed she'd found someone more flustered with flirtations than herself. She waited for him to speak his piece again, noting he liked to be thorough with his explanations, a good thing considering their current circumstances. She nodded, it sounded reasonable enough.<br><br>"Alright, Baxter... I'll try to move on, but when I can't rationalize everything we've talked about in a week or so.. I want a way to contact you. I don't want to be sitting in my apartment going nuts because the only <em>non-freak</em> person I know who believes in magic disappeared from my life." Again Jessica was surprised by herself, <em>'When did I get so bold? Probably because he's all flustered and it gives me an edge,'</em> she waited to see what the self-proclaimed Mage would do before saying anymore though the look on her face said she still had something left to say after he agreed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 09:11:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Baxter seemed to mull her request over a bit, then shrugged and nodded, "Sounds fair. The ability to contact me will make it harder to put all this behind you, but you're clever, so you already know that. Just drop a message on the Missed Connections part of Craigslist. I use that to keep in contact with some of my other friends without being easily traced. Just mention pepperoni in the park and I'll know it's you and contact you back."<br><br>"I know, weird right? Picking up mages on Craigslist just seems wrong, but you can find everything else there, so why not?" Of course he had a cellphone, email address, a home, and all that good stuff, but the less she knew the better until it was time for her to jump fully into the pool's deep end. <br><br>Perhaps sensing that she had something more to say, Baxter cut short his normal rambling conversation style and just listened, watching her with a small smile. He seemed to enjoy having someone to speak to like this, even with his constant protestations that the knowledge was dark and dangerous.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 09:23:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica took off the hat she had to wear for her uniform and ran her fingers through her hair. "Alright, well... I guess that works, it is strange, but it makes sense." After all, everything else had been strange that night. "And yeah I know it'll make it harder, but honestly, my best efforts would likely have me looking for you by way of the hotel logs tomorrow, claiming the check the guy in the room that exploded gave me had bounced and I had to try to pursue all available avenues to find you, bla bla bla... Yes, stalking people is that easy. However, I would wager it wouldn't lead me to anything useful." She gave him a nod to his own intelligence with the last and winked a little at him.<br><br>"Well, it's late, but I'm for sitting around a little longer before going back to work. I hate the clean-up on closing nights, we have to wash all the pans and utensils used in water so hot.. Made worse by the bad circulation in my fingers." She lifted a hand and looked it over, her fingers were slightly paler than the rest of her skin even in the awful lighting of their surroundings. "Don't feel obligated to hang around though," she added as an afterthought while she let her hair down.<br><br>She ran her fingers through it again, as far as she could before catching hitches in it because of its unruly nature. "By the way, I don't drink." She added as a last thought, giving Baxter a sideways glance. "So while you're getting liquored up, if we do end up doing that, I'll be drinking some clean version of a dirty drink and enjoying the effect yours has on you." She gave him another wink. The idea, she admitted to herself, didn't sound half-bad considering she hadn't been on a date in ages. <em>'Tsk tsk.'</em> She leaned fully back against the bench, resting her feet on the pavement in front of her again and looking up at the sky, the very faint pink coloration of her cheeks would likely not be noticeable in the darkness, she knew, but awkward angles made that less likely still.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2009, 18:44:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Baxter grinned at the thought of her going back to the hotel tomorrow. Already the Technocracy would be hard at work cleaning up any evidence of the night's madness. By morning there never would have been a hit and run, an electrocuted Adam, or an exploded door. He couldn't help but wonder how much she'd be phased by that as he watched her smile in the darkness. It was one thing to be told a conspiracy exists. It's another thing altogether to see it work.<br><br>"What do you believe in, Jessica?" The question was so random, so out of left field. Did anyone actually expect anything less from the occasionally confused mage? "I know you believe in your eyes. I know you believe in what you can touch. But there has to be more. You have to believe something on your own. Deep down in your heart. I believe in Fate." She could actually hear the capital letter in his voice.<br><br>"For me, everything in creation is part of a huge tapestry, all our individual threads of destiny interwoven and interconnected. Like a web, if you pluck one strand, others around it resonate. Everything I do, everything I am, hinges back to that core belief in fate and the mental construct of the tapestry. It's how I work my magic. It's how I live." With a smile, he reached over to brushes a few strands of hair from her face which had come loose as she'd taken off the hat and fluffed out her hair. "I don't expect you to have a belief that all consuming. But there's something you hold close, something you've not let go of despite the world trying to knock it away."<br><br>"So, what is it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>28-03-2009, 06:34:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica listened to him talk about his tapestry and was reminded of many things. Faith was a topic she was very defensive about and so she considered, as Baxter spoke, how best to sidestep the topic. One of the things which came to mind was a song from <em>The Prince of Egypt</em>. One of the lines in the song was 'A single thread in a tapestry, though it's color brightly shines, doesn't think it's more important, than the pattern of the grand design.' It ran through her head a few times and next thing she knew he was asking her again.<br><br><em>'What do I believe in?'</em> She looked at him, "You know... You make The Matrix sound plausible. Maybe we're all really just people being fed a mass hallucination of some form and we believe it. We enjoy our strife and our problems and stress and they are the things which make us tick. We refuted paradise." Her head was still leaning back some, though now it was tilted so she could see him, "I often find myself feeling like a puppet. Like there's some greater force in the word pulling the strings of my life as I go through the actions of my day. This was especially true during high school. I <em>hated</em> high school, but every day I got up and went. It wasn't like I had the will or the insight, or cared that I needed it to get into college, I just went through the motions without really enjoying the life." <br><br>Her head fell back again, giving her a view of the overcast sky and those stars which peeped through the darkness in their black and navy blanket above the clouds as they passed. She sighed, the answers were deflections and she knew he'd see that. "Alright.." She said hesitantly. "When I was young I had an older brother." She fidgeted a little, "He was.. six years older than me, more popular, smarter, much more athletic. The perfect son. He was also my best friend. Used to take me places with him, taught me to play chess, pool, taught me to drive when I was twelve." She chuckled. That had been a funny day and thinking of it brought warmth to her heart. "When I was thirteen he died." She straightened up a bit, looked dead into Baxter's eyes, "I was at a friend's house when it happened."<br><br>She paused a moment, "Strange thing was, the doctors said he died of a drug overdose. James never did drugs." She wrinkled her nose a little, "So here's the belief part. He's still here. He goes where I go, at least as far as living goes. I talk to him, and he doesn't talk back, but he does little things sometimes.. Like... draw faces in the steam on the mirror while I'm taking a shower..." She knew she must have sounded crazy, but after all the things Baxter had said that night, "He also helps me keep things in order. I always lose things. Sometimes I head out the door in the morning and the keys are on the counter. You think I put them there? Hell no." &nbsp;She laughed a little again.<br><br>"Tell you what though, I'm glad he hung around. Would have been a very lonely life if he hadn't." <em>'Still is to a large degree.'</em> Her eyes wandered out over the surface of the pond again. It was very dark, but she could still see the water.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>28-03-2009, 09:51:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well, she'd surprised him, if his expression was any indication. The self proclaimed mage had expected ... well, he wasn't certain what he expected, certainly nothing that concrete. Not from a sleeper. And Baxter wasn't even one of the jackasses that thought you had had to be a willworker to have something worth saying. Honestly, he just wasn't sure what to say. He didn't think she was crazy, but what can you say about someone being haunted by their dead brother?<br><br>So... after a moment he scooched closer to her and slipped his arm across the back of the bench, not quite across her shoulders, but close enough. "Well, I can't say for sure that you're haunted, Jess, but I do know there are ghosts. Really real ghosts. I don't deal with them myself. I can sometimes see shadows in the tapestry, but it's nothing something I've pursued. There's just so much in this world I don't understand yet that peeking trough the veil just seems complicated to me."<br><br>"That said, there are a couple different mage orders who know a lot more about that sort of thing than I do. One of them tried to recruit me, back in the day. On the surface, my interests paired really well with theirs. Fate, destiny, karma... Entropy. They taught me to use the dagger to help focus my thoughts. Trouble was... Damn, how do I say this? You know how you sometimes need to prune a tree to keep it growing straight and healthy. They sort of feel that way about humanity. Freaked me right out when I really got that bit. They wanted me to be a sort of supernatural, fate driven assassin." Baxter whistled and shook his head, then looked over at her, "Oh... did you see that Angelina Jolie movie where she was the bullet bending assassin chick? I only saw the commercials, but like that. Kill one, save a thousand and crazy nonsense like that."<br><br>"Actually quit smoking because of those jerks. I used to smoke cloves, you know, because I sucked. The smell was like incense. Felt spiritual to a screwed up crazy kid who could bend the world around him. Those guys used incense in a lot of their rituals. Shook of that bad habit right after I shook off that Tradition." He gave Jessica a one armed hug, then grinned at her, "Basically, what I'm getting at is I believe you. I don't know if you're right, but you're no crazier than I am... which is probably a lot less reassuring than I'd like."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 02:18:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica hadn't expected his reaction. As she felt his arm rest on the bench behind her she looked at him again. <em>'He... doesn't judge me... Then again, why would he?'</em> She felt a little foolish for having expected he would in retrospect. "Well... It might be more comforting than you think, but on the other hand, my forgetting this whole night and moving on with my life is looking bleaker and bleaker." She gave him a playful smirk at that.<br><br>"So.. you left those mages? Does that mean you're alone?" She asked, more somber than what she'd said before. She knew about being alone, and could only imagine that it would be more harsh if she were as different from others as Baxter was. <em>'If he is alone he might be the only person in the world I can relate to on that.'</em> Knowing so few people meant Jessica had no other lonely friends to bemoan her lonely existence with, though she might have found one tonight.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 04:33:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I guess it really depends on how... nahh, you've got me pegged. I'm pretty much alone. I'm what they call an Orphan, which is to say that I've learned to work my will on the world without the benefits of formal training. Makes me a sort of second class citizen with not a whole lot in the way of a support network. I've made a lot of friends over the years, but I tend to work on my own. I'm sort of a freelance troubleshooter slash international man of mystery." Baxter wraggled his eyebrows at her, "Impressed?"<br><br>Without actually waiting for a response, Baxter continued, "But you have touched on something really true about being a mage. It's a lonely sort of life. Even if you're part of a Tradition...err, a group of mages, you're going to see the world a little differently than the people you work with, and way differently than the world as a whole. There are days you just want to stand in the streets and scream at people like a madman, wishing that someone, anyone could see things the way you do."<br><br>"Some mages get around that by taking apprentices, trying to shape an awakening mage so they leave a legacy, or at least have someone to really talk shop with. Others gather followers, and that can range from a priest with a flock, to a cult, to Charlie and his Angels." He glanced over with a grin, offering a quick, "Long story... don't ask."<br><br>"I'm not comfortable enough with people to do that sort of thing, and my magic is too important for me to trade it all for 2.2 kids and a house in the burbs." He sighed a bit and looked out over the still water. "Tempting some days though. Mainly when you walk into an empty apartment with a $5 footlong and have nothing better to do with yourself than sit down on the couch and watch reruns on TV."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>31-03-2009, 07:24:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She giggled a little at Baxter's wraggling eyebrows, her smile lighting her face up a little. And then sobered to listen to the rest. She nodded a little and seemed to consider something, eventually she said, "So.. what are your plans for tonight, hmm?" She wore a wry smirk, perhaps feeling more reckless than usual. She followed his own example and didn't let him have time to answer, "If you don't have plans you could come hang out with me at my place. After I sort out my work, and... Well, yeah. We could watch TV together, maybe make it that much less a lonely and pathetic-feeling pass time?"<br><br>Jessica was inwardly surprised, but she had been alone quite a while and she didn't retract a single word, only waited on his response, a little hopeful, <em>'Damn, I'm more reckless than I ever realized...'</em> She thought to herself, watching him closely. She hoped that being that forward wouldn't scare him off. <em>'After all, I'm not suggesting sex.... Though... I wouldn't be against that if it came up later...'</em> Her cheeks colored a little, but not enough to worry her about him noticing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2009, 04:56:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Baxter blinked with surprise at her invitation and gave her upper arm a little scritch with his fingernails as he considered it. After a moment, his quizzical expression changed into a wry little smile and he replied, "Somehow I get this feeling that despite all my warnings and attempts to do the right thing, you've become enamored at the idea of reality being a weirder place than you could have guessed. See, if I go home and hang out with you, it'd be that much harder to forget about tonight."<br><br>"Which is a moot concern if you've already made up your mind." He conceded with a nod of his head and a squeeze of her shoulders. "Listen, if I had a type, it'd be you, Jessica. You're clever, strong, brave and beautiful. A couple piercings or tattoos hidden under that blouse and I'd fall prostate at your feet like Marc Anthony before Cleopatra." Baxter grinned mischievously at that, but then got a bit more serious, "So yeah, I'd like to be your friend. I'd like to watch TV with you and maybe work up to a bit of snogging given the chemistry I feel."<br><br>He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Trick is, I'm a dangerous friend. First time you laid eyes on me, someone was trying to kill me. As my friend, or my girlfriend, or whatever we end up being, you stand a chance in being caught up in that. As long as you go into that with open eyes, I'll happily walk with you wheresoever the path leads. If you do the potentially wiser thing and walk away, I swear I won't think ill of you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>02-04-2009, 04:07:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica nodded, considering what he was saying. He had valid points, and she might get in over her head, and... she might <em>die</em> from that. Still, it didn't phase her. On one hand she felt completely reckless and stupid, on the other... She <em>had</em> to explore what she'd learned. She couldn't just go back to life without going insane if she didn't, and Baxter was the best person to talk to about it. She nodded again, "Noted, and no problem here." She responded.<br><br>Her eyes danced a little from the thrill of the things that had transpired that evening as she looked at him, "Shall we then? To my work and then home? We'll tell my boss you got a flat up highway 185 and needed a ride. He'll just assume we're friends, and the night's over anyway." She was still trying to figure out what she would tell her boss about disappearing, but if Baxter was right that would be a non-issue.<br><br>She ran her fingers through her hair one more time before pulling it up into a ponytail again. Her eyes never left Baxter's face as she did this, though her thoughts roamed a little.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>02-04-2009, 20:30:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Even when being a flirting goofball, there was something... intense in Baxter's blue eyes, almost electric. Some might regard it as a glint of madness, others a sign that he genuinely did view the world in a different way. When he looked at someone, he seemed to take all of them in and look straight through them at the same time. It wasn't a lack of focus, but more an all encompassing attention to detail that was both unusual and unsettling. Normally, for that reason, he didn't tend to look people in the eyes. A person's eyes told a long about them, and in Jessica's eyes, he saw sorrow, guilt, hunger, and excitement. She was far too clever to be a pizza delivery girl, but there she was, working at a job she didn't like and didn't have a future in. Why? He suspected she was waiting. Waiting for something to change, a sign, something worth living for. She wasn't going to let this moment just go.<br><br>He smiled and tilted his head to the side, "Tell your boss you quit. Come work for me. If you really want to explore the world in a new way, dive in and get busy with it. If things don't work out, you can always get another pizza delivery job."&nbsp; <br><br>Baxter rose to his feet and offered her a hand, "I run an online business, selling books. Primarily worthless occult books to Wicca oriented hippies and college students. I also have some rare and collectible books for serious buyers. The work I'd pay you for is just packing and shipping the books I sell. Flexible hours, unbeatable benefits. I mean, I don't provide health insurance, but if something goes wrong I'll fix it or have it fixed. Payment in cash, weekly, although if you'd prefer a standard paycheck with Federal Taxes taken out and whatnot, I know someone who can set that up for me. Honestly, I know many of the secrets of the universe, but Quicken baffles the shit out of me."<br><br>"When not working, I can teach you about magic. I don't know if you have the spark to be a Mage, Jessica, but you're brave, intelligent, and determined, so that can't hurt. I know this probably sounds all weird and sudden, but it's been that kind of night." He opened and closed his hand in silent invitation.<br><br>"Think it over. You don't have to decide tonight. The offer doesn't come with a time stamp. I just think it'd be more rewarding than what you're doing now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>06-04-2009, 04:36:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica looked at Baxter as though he were nuts at first. The first thing she hear being, 'Tell your boss you quit.' The next part perplexed her. What kind of work did this crazy, self-proclaimed Mage have to offer? And then he explained. <em>'Oh, sounds right up my alley.. Occult books, which I can never get enough of, flexible hours so I can sleep half the day away.. Still...'</em><br><br>She heard him out, but she was already sure she wouldn't accept, just yet. The last made her smile. It didn't have a time stamp, and that meant she could return to it if she decided he was reliable enough. His lack of sanity didn't bother her, but the possibility of finding work and money, and... fixes as there were no real benefits with his offer cut off did. "I think I'm gonna need a little time to think on that one..." She offered as she got to her feet, "If you're still up for movies and pizza why don't we get moving? I don't think I want to be up too late tonight." She took the hot bag in her hands and headed for her car. Once there she fixed the delivery sign to the top of her car again, hooking the cable to the engine for power. Then she started putting the pizzas from her bag inside her now-empty trunk. The extra two-liter and the pizzas from Baxter's hot bag went there too.<br><br>After closing the trunk she tossed the empty hot bag into the back seat and unlocked the passenger side door for Baxter and waited for him to get in. "So, in the meantime.. What sort of movies you like?" She asked as she backed the car out and headed for her pizza shop.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>06-04-2009, 06:27:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After slipping into the passenger seat and fastening his seat belt, Baxter tilted his head to consider the question. Of course, it might seem odd that someone who'd willingly electrocute himself and claimed to be able to control the threads of fate would wear a seat belt. The truth was, if there was one think the willworker had learned since Awakening, it was that Fate was a fickle bitch, and one did not tempt her needlessly.<br><br>"Wow... talk about a hard question. Why not ask me something simple, like the underlying energy that is actually the missing facet physicists need to know about to complete their unified field theory? Damn." Bax scratched his temple, then shrugged, "I like all sorts of movies. I like romances, comedies, action, scifi, horror... good, bad... It's probably easier to say what I don't like. I don't like movies that are made where no one cares about the finished product. Even if it's a bad movie, I want the people involved to love what they're doing. For example, Street Fighter, the one with Raul Julia? The movie was horrible, but I still liked it because of some good performances and the actors having fun with their roles. The average SciFi Original Movie? Can't make it through 15 minutes because the people on screen don't even care. I also don't like torture porn."<br><br>He abruptly stopped and shook his head, "Wait... you know what I mean with that, right? Things like Hostel and Saw, and all the sad sadistic crap people are passing off as entertainment. Those just aren't enjoyable or fun for me, and I've seen and lived through the real thing before. No thanks." With a grin, he lightened the mood, "Now, as far as actual porn goes, I prefer spirited amateurs, bad lighting and camera work and all. There are so few professionals that honestly seem to be enjoying what they do, and the hollowness I see in their eyes just completely ruins the moment. Not to mention professional scenes are so formulaic. No romance or mystery. 3-5 minutes of oral, mostly from the girl, 10-15 minutes of intercourse with at least three different positions and possibly two separate holes with way too much close up work on the naughty bits, and a money shot." He shrugged, "Give me passionate amateurs who might only make love for 4 minutes, but they're making love and enjoying each other. That's hot."<br><br>He blinked and looked over at her, "Was that way too much information? I get carried away sometimes."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>07-04-2009, 08:12:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica listened to his responses, amused, and almost laughed out loud when he started talking about porn. When he did ask her the questions she wondered if she could convince him it had held a specific effect on her. "Well, my aren't we forward." She said in a very serious, slightly-unnerved sounding the voice, or the closest she could get. Then she started giggling. "Naw, it's not too much, Baxter. Maybe a little more than I needed too know, but it didn't bother me." She spared him a wink, giving him a moment of direct attention rather than the road, but aside from that was a very attentive driver.<br><br>"Okay, so how does... <em>Anna and the King</em> sound?" She wasn't sure she even owned it, but he'd included romances in his list and she wanted to see what kind of stuff he let girls get away with in regards to his interests. There was only a hint of mischief in her eyes as she waited for his response to that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>07-04-2009, 08:45:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, it won an Academy Award or two and has Chow Yun Fat, who's a fantastic actor, but I'll likely be snoring on your couch by the end of the first act. If you'd be willing to let me sleep with my head in your lap, I think we'd have a deal." He looked over and narrowed his eyes, "But if you draw on me while I'm asleep, there'll be Hell to pay, little girl."<br><br>Baxter was probably kidding about the hell to play, but he didn't expect her to draw on him, or let him sleep in her lap, so it was something of a moot point. He looked back out the window as she pulled up before her restaurant. "Looks like an alright place to work." He stared through the front windows, "So which one's your boss? The bald guy mopping? Oh, and do you want me to come in with you and help out?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>10-04-2009, 02:15:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nope. Bald one's holding two jobs, never went to college. Didn't finish high school... He should probably be doing something bigger by now, but... Well yeah." She took the hot bags, which were now cool, out of the car and walked in, motioning for Baxter to wait in the car. The old man exchanged some words with her, though he didn't look particularly happy. She made her way past him and out of sight.<br><br>About five minutes later she came out front to get her sign off the car and said, "Whatever hoodoo you're into, I want some of it. My boss just told me I'm due in for a raise soon and that missing the money from the earlier order is no problem... He didn't even bring up how late I am getting back and said to go ahead and take off for the night. Be right back." She disappeared inside in.<br><br>She returned again a few minutes later wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. She still wore the hat, but the pants and shirt from her uniform she left inside. On her shoes she had white tennis shoes instead of the black ones which she carried in her hands. She dropped them in the back seat when she got in. "Alright, if <em>Anna and the King</em> is out, how about <em>Men in Black</em>?"<br><br>Sure, it was a corny movie, but it fit the mood of the thing she'd seen tonight, at least in her opinion. That one she also knew she had.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>11-04-2009, 06:20:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Jessica left to walk into the building, Baxter pulled a pair of old worn dice out of his pocket and rolled them in his fingers, chanting softly to himself as the genuine ivory squares clicked against one another. His attention was focused on the building, blue eyes almost burning with intensity. He wasn't actually looking at the building, but following a new thread that bound him to Jessica. Through the thread, he was able to track her as she followed a thread of her own, one that terminated in her superior. Baxter then hopped tracks and began riding the boss.<br><br>By settling his consciousness within the other man's head, he could both sense and alter what the other man felt, what he was about to say. Was it ethical? Well, no, probably not. But when push came to shove, Baxter was a ends justify the means sort of guy, within reason. By tweaking this guy's head, Jessica would keep her job and he'd keep a good employee. Win-win.<br><br>By the time she returned to the car to grab the sign, Baxter's dice were stored away again, and he just smiled at her and offered a simple, "Not a problem. Glad it worked out for you."<br><br>The second time she returned, he took a moment to appreciate how good she looked in just a simple teeshirt and jeans before replying, "Actually, I love Men in Black. One of the best bits of propaganda the Technos ever put out. How can you not love Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Those guys have so much charisma it's unnatural. Maybe genuinely unnatural. Never looked into it that close. Lead on Horatio. Your roommate won't be annoyed at you bringing how a strange guy, will she?" He didn't know if she had a roommate or not, but this seemed like a good way to find out.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>11-04-2009, 21:04:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica smiled a little. She liked the way Baxter looked at her when they were getting ready to leave. Then again, she already knew from what he said earlier that he was attracted to her. This made the prospect of a night of movies with him that much more fun. "No roommate to speak of, and if I did it wouldn't be the sort of person to care about such things.."<br><br>Jessica was not one to live with limits placed upon her living conditions by others even if they were limits that made sense and would likely protect her as much as said 'other'. She drove them home, asking, "Propaganda, huh? How can you propagate something the world is ignorant of?" <br><br>They eventually came to a fairly nice apartment complex. The name on the small green sign as Jessica drove past read 'Brookside Apartments' in slightly peeling white paint. Jessica drove them around the side of the buildings in the front and to the third building. It's back was on the edge of the complex, a gate running along behind it. "Home sweet home. I'm on the third floor." She parked in a covered spot with a number above it and went around to get the pizzas out of her trunk.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>12-04-2009, 00:11:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ahh, but the collective zeitgeist is aware of the Men in Black, and they are very much real. Been around as far back as the Pinkertons, as far as I can tell. Normally they're used to clean up messes the world doesn't need to be aware of. Like if a Hermetic mage..." He paused and explained, "A mystic order whom are generally found of flashy energy magics, has a full on duel with a pair of murderous cyborgs in Time Square, people are going to see that, they're going to notice. Most will rationalize it away as a movie being filled or something, but the Men In Black will track down those witnesses and make them forget it ever happened. They'll clean up any solid evidence, and leave the world none the wiser that something unexplainable and wondrous happened."<br><br>He grinned over at her, "Trick is, they're a lot more sinister than just a cleaning crew. They have a job to do and will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals, but it anything from intimidation to assassination to mass murder. And /that's/ why Men in Black is such a great piece of propaganda. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are talented guys giving everything they have to save the world from dangerous outsiders, and if you see something you shouldn't, they'll give you a flash, replace those bad memories with nice safe ones, and send you on your way."<br><br>"Trick is," He placed his hand on his chest, "In this reality, I'm the bug eyed monster, and I'm not out to destroy the world or eat babies or anything other than get people to open their eyes and embrace their true potential that's been denied to them for so long." He cocked his thumb out the window and said, "The Men in Black are faceless tools of the enemy out to enforce the status quo and stifle freedom and truth, and the movie makes it easier for them to do that, because if you see them, you'd think 'Hey, it's the Men in Black, not wow, 'Those guys are creepy.'"<br><br>He laughed as they pulled to a stop before he apartment. "Still like the movie though. Fun stuff. Lots of gooshy bits."<br><br>He hopped out of the car, grabbed his backpack, and walked around to take the pizzas from her. "You're set for food for a week. Perks of the job?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>12-04-2009, 23:09:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica giggled, "Perks of the job indeed." She carried some of the boxes and led Baxter up the stairs of her building. They hung a left on the third story and moved to the first door. Jessica dug through her pockets, which sounded to be full of coins, and brought out her keyring. She unlocked the door with the pizza boxes all resting on one hand stacked, clearly something she was accustomed to doing, or perhaps just to carrying.<br><br>"Well, it's not much, but it's home." She said as she pushed the door open and walked inside, "Lock it behind you please." She kept moving.<br><br>Not far inside there was a closed door on the right, then it opened to the living room without any doors from the front to the room. On the left the wall opened a little to reveal a small kitchen. The opening was basically the space between the counter top and the cupboards above. A refrigerator stood in the back corner of the little kitchen, and a small table was wedged into the back corner of the edge of the linoleum floors. <br><br>In the living room was a small black, leather couch and a large screen TV with a little bit of damage in the lower right corner. "Most of the time that scratch doesn't impede pictures, and the price was right for the T.V." She explained automatically as she rested the pizza boxes on the counter.<br><br>A little further back, a straight shot from the front door, was another closed door, presumably leading to Jess' bedroom. The sliding screen door that led to the balcony was in the living room. There was no fire place.<br><br>Most of the walls were bare, though the one closest to the front door sported a poster with the cover of the movie <em>A Knight's Tale</em>. "Hungry? If not I better start putting all this pizza up." Jessica asked Baxter, watching him as he looked around.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>15-04-2009, 01:53:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Baxter flicked the deadbolt, then pulled a fast food salt packet and knelt, tracing a faint line across her thresh hold with the crystals. Looking up into her curious glance, he smiled and shrugged, "Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid. Just threw a barrier around your apartment. So long as neither of us breaks the salt line, no one will be able to track us via magic, least ways not in here. Seeing as I ticked off a bunch of folks tonight, seemed appropriate."<br><br>He rose back to his feet and continued the tour with a smile. "I think your home is very nice, Jess. It might not be a house in the hills or have a white picket fence, but it has enough space for you, the stuff that's important to you, and it's comfortable. So long as you have decent neighbors, it seems a welcome sanctum from the world outside."<br><br>He waved off additional pizza with a pat to his stomach, which he bowed out a bit for emphasis. "I'm stuffed, thanks." He wandered over to the Knight's Tale poster. "So many people gave this movie a bad rep because of the anachronisms, but I loved it for them. People take history so serious, imagining people acted and thought a certain way, just because of what's written in a history book." He looked over to her, "Do you think a book about either of our lives would actually represent how we acted from day or day? How we think, how we interact with people? I think treating the tournaments like a modern day sporting event probably came closer to capturing the true feel of the activity than any film that strives for realism."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>16-04-2009, 04:58:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica smiled a little. She began bagging the pizzas, requiring the use of several plastic bags, and tossing them in the fridge on the top shelf. Also inside the fridge, if Baxter had the opportunity to glance, were several bottles of a water, a couple cans of coke, and some random refrigerate-after-opening type condiments. <br><br>She chuckled, hearing his comments about <em>A Knight's Tale</em>. As she tossed another bag of pizza in she said, "Have to admit this, Baxter, I hated it the first time I saw it. The dancing scene threw my off completely, and I still don't like it. The rest I enjoy.." The movie had grown on her, but originally she hadn't liked it at all.<br><br>She walked into the little living room after closing the refrigerator and smiled a little moving over to the large television and then behind it some where a shelf of movies stood. "We said <em>Men In Black</em>, right?" Her eyes scanned over the titles and she brought out the DVD. "Or would you like to look and maybe pick something different?" she asked with a smile as she looked at Baxter.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 06:10:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Honestly," He sat back on the couch (really a black leather loveseat with delusions of grandeur in Baxter's mind) and draped his arm across the back, "So long as you'll come, sit right about here..." he patted the cushion beside his hip, "and snuggle up in this general area," he waved his hand over his ribs and side, "You can have static on the TV and I'll be tickled pink. All I ask so far as films go is something I don't have to think about too much. It's been a long day for me and putting the brain on break seems glorious. Men in Black would be good for that, but if it doesn't put you in a snuggly mood, I might have to resort to puppy dog eyes, and I don't think either of us wants that."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 07:26:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jess giggled. "Alright, sounds fine to me." She put the DVD in the player and carried the control to the couch, turning on the TV, then the DVD player and getting comfy beside Baxter. She twisted so she was facing toward the wall, put her feet over the arm of the couch, grabbed his arm and pulled it around her, and leaned back against him turning her head to the side a little so she could see the screen. "Tell me if I hurt you." She said as she pulled his arm over her stomach and wrapped her hands around his forearm. She hit a button on the control to start the movie playing and dropped it on her stomach as well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 07:37:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Baxter laughed a bit and snugged her, "Don't start randomly gnawing or pinching and I think we'll be fine. Oh, remind me to tell you about vampires someday. Sexy single lady like you needs to be aware of the vampire menace facing our streets. Actually, avoid meat markets and you should be safe. Never ever pick up a random guy and take him home though. Too many predators out there..."<br><br>He paused for a second and tilted his head to the side, "Well, excluding present company. I've never been much of a predator. Even toyed with being a vegetarian for a while, but it was just too much work."<br><br>"You know. I think I talk too much sometimes." He grinned and gave her a kiss atop the head. "You must make me nervous."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>21-04-2009, 09:37:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica chuckled a little at his first words, and grew almost insatiably curious from his next... <em>almost</em>. However, the night had been bizarre enough. If Baxter ended up staying the night, which was something she was rather inclined to think she would enjoy though she wasn't sure how far she wanted that going, she would remind him in the morning. Her cheeks colored a little when he called her sexy and she let her eyes find his electrifying, blue ones. <em>'So strange, and attractive..'</em> she thought as he talked.<br><br>Again she snickered at him when he spoke of predators and quickly added that he wasn't one,in fact, was almost a vegetarian. "You know.. Broccoli has feelings too." Another joke in a deadpan voice. It was Jessica's favorite style of sarcasm and she was beginning to think Baxter liked it alright.<br><br>She grinned and nodded to his next words, "Maybe you do, maybe not. I'm not one to judge, it just gives me the edge of knowing more about you and your thoughts than you know about me and mine." She winked up at him, her arms wrapped around his forearm. She enjoyed his warmth and the pillow he made for her by letting her lay back against him. She also enjoyed his kiss on her forehead.<br><br>Jessica got pretty into movies, once the previews were past she was almost absorbed in the plot, even if it was <em>Men in Black</em>. She didn't jump or squeal or screech, but occasionally she prematurely squeezed Baxter's arm very slightly. She'd seen the movie before so she knew when the parts were coming that made her antsy. Most of them involved bugs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 20:58:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For Baxter's part, the movie was just an entertaining bit of nonsense that only partially caught his attention as he was more focused on the woman laying against his chest. He hadn't held a woman like this in... had it really been that long? What was it about this girl that had broken him out of his voluntary exile from society? Sure, he knew other mages, but even those relationships were more business than pleasure. Perhaps he was just done grieving, ready to move on.<br><br>Maybe he'd just grown up a little.<br><br>Still, as he sat there smiling, his mind drifted miles and years away. She had been his first love. Deidre or Didi, as he called her. At first, she was just a one night stand he'd picked up at a goth club, but they had a connection, there was something more there. She'd moved in with him and he'd helped her break her self destructive drug habits. He was working up the courage to ask her to marry him when she'd killed herself.<br><br>Well, she'd been spiritually murdered, but he didn't realize that until much later. A malevolent spirit had been driving her to self destruction, and when Baxter had tried to save Didi, the spirit raised the stakes. Unable to face the spirit directly, Baxter had traveled the world with the single minded determination. He just didn't have the knack to magically battle spirits and wouldn't allow someone else to take his revenge for him. Finally, when he felt properly prepared, and with friends nearby to help revive him, he committed ritual suicide so he could face her on her own terms, and with the artifact dagger sheathed at the small of his bag, cut that ethereal bitch's heart out.<br><br>That had been six years ago, and since he was still here, clearly his friends were able to revive him after the struggle, but it had been a close thing.<br><br>And all that seemed so... distant now. Baxter smiled down at Jessica and was content for the first time in ages.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>27-04-2009, 03:36:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica couldn't read Baxter's thoughts even when she watched him, much less when the movie had her attention. She curled into him and enjoyed the feel of his arm around her. At times her breathing grew slightly more intense lifting the arm across her belly with the gentle heave of her chest, but the times were short. The action in a movie seen more than once before always seemed diluted and its effect on her was the same.<br><br>As it came to the end she turned and looked up at him, a silly smile on her face to meet his own smile looking down at her. She laughed a little, "Were you even watching?" Her eyes sparkled even in the dim light of the credits as they rolled past and she waited, wondering what was going through his mind. Regardless, he seemed happy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>27-04-2009, 04:14:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With a grin, he snugged her then nodded, "Well, yes and no. I was watching it and could tell you what was going on at any given time, but I wasn't really paying all that much attention. I was woolgathering a bit and musing on just how strange the world is sometimes. See, I've not been able to just hold someone close like this in ages and it's really very nice. Honestly, I'd forgotten how glorious it was just to share human warmth and compassion."<br><br>"That sounds weird," Baxter conceded. "Lemme 'splain. I was in a relationship that went bad. She committed suicide and it really hurt me for a very long time. I've basically been a hermit for going on seven years now. No dating, no nothing. At first I just couldn't think of it. The pain was too fresh, too strong. Over time though, I just became used to being lonely."<br><br>"Of course, now you've gone and fucked that all up." Despite the harsh word, he was smiling down at her again. "I've spent a good 94 minutes snuggling on your couch, and all I can think about is how warm I feel, not just from your body against mine, but in my heart, as sappy as that sounds. I like you a lot, Jessica, and I'm sitting here wondering how I can convince you to snuggle with me again in the future."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>30-04-2009, 09:33:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica felt herself melt a little from Baxter's last words. She smiled warmly at him and nuzzled into his chest a little, "You know.. quite honestly.. tonight hasn't been like me at all. I should have run away, I should have gone straight back to work, I should have done a lot of things... Something about this is just too intriguing to pass up." She looked back up at his eyes, those shockingly blue eyes, "Truth be told, I don't think you need to worry too much about finding reasons. I've enjoyed tonight, as odd as that is, and I would like to see more of you."<br><br>It was forward, candid, and honest. Things Jess had little trouble being, at least in Baxter's presence it seemed. She stood up and turned the T.V. off, "That said, I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the night. You have any ideas, Baxter?" To her it was only the middle of the evening even though it was late by the standards of most. She kept her gaze with his as she waited for his answer, all the while hoping he wasn't tired.<br><br><em>'On the other hand, if he is tired, we can cuddle..'</em> the thought made her chuckle a little despite herself. That one she wouldn't say out loud, not yet. She did hope he would be agreeable to cuddling with her through the evening when the time for sleep came though. She enjoyed his warmth and presence, and she'd been alone so long...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 08:18:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"A great many ideas. Some good, some bad, some very, very bad indeed." Baxter rose to her feet and stepped up to her, taking ahold of her waist. "In my younger, crazier days, I'd suggest you show me your bedroom so we could get a little freaky. Well, depending on how you rate freaky." He smiled down at her, hands squeezing her hips.<br><br>Taking a deep breath, he grinned ruefully, "However, I'm older, wiser, and the last time I got freaky on the first date, it didn't turn out well. So, instead, I saw we retired back to the couch and instead of trying to get into your pants, we engage in the sort of heavy petting that would steam up a the windows of your car, if we were crammed into the uncomfortable backseat instead of on your comfy couch."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 09:08:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica grinned at his response. Like her, he was forward, candid, honest. She liked it. "I suppose," she said, turning her stance a little so she could feel his hands move with or along her waist, "that sounds agreeable to me." Her hands slid between his sides and his arms and curled up to caress his back near his shoulders. "So... The couch, or the bed? We'd fit better in the bed, but I think heavy petting's about as far as I'll go tonight, if you don't mind.. Though.."<br><br>There was something else, but she cut it short. Her eyes stayed locked on his blue ones as she wondered what she was getting into. How long had it been since her last date? Was it a bad thing she couldn't really remember. The soft smile on her lips was becoming more playful as her feet settled just outside of his on the floor and gently tapped his shoes with her own.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 03:29:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Though?" He leaned his forehead against hers, "That 'though' held a world of possibility, my dear." He leaned in, kissing her softly before bending at the knees and sliding his hands lower. He straightened, lifting her as he did so and began walking her back toward her bedroom. "Not that I have anything against your comfy couch, but a bed just uniquely suited for snuggling, cuddling, and naughtier variations there upon."<br><br>He braced her up against the wall beside her bedroom door, kissing a bit firmer this time, as a hand felt for her doorknob, then opened the door. The hand moved back to her upper thigh and he continued a few steps into the bedroom, pausing just inside the door and kissing over to her ear where he murmured, "Lights," before biting and tugging on her earlobe.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>05-05-2009, 07:14:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica grinned, "Didn't it, though?" She teased, not immediately explaining the word for him. The kiss he gave her was returned by her gentle lips and she smiled as he drew away. Jessica didn't wait long to continue her statement as he lifted her and a giggle escaped her lips. "Though I was going to ask if you'd mind.. holding me tonight. Childish, I suppose, but I've been lonely." Her cheeks flushed softly at the quiet confession and she wondered what Baxter would think.<br><br>She curled into his a chest a little while he carried her back. As he pressed her against the wall she couldn't help but "Mm.." and lick her lips. His mouth came to hers and she returned a harder kiss, one with a bit more want to it. Her fingers wrapped around his shoulder, long nails lightly pressing into his back, as her hands helped him support her. She grinned as she heard the door open and leaned forward, her lips grazing against his bare neck until he started moving.<br><br>The nibble and tug to her ears sent shivers through her, the sort she hadn't felt in quite a long time. Her eyes closed briefly while she savored the feeling, and then opened again and she reached back with one hand to flick a light switch. The lighting fixture in the center of the room came on revealing slightly vaulted ceilings over her sleeping area and in the bathroom. The bathroom door was open and it was visible through the room that Jess was neither a slob nor a neat freak. A computer desk was pushed against the wall near a sliding glass door that led to a porch area linked to the living room. The desk was messy, a small bunny rabbit sat on top of the center of the monitor. The monitor itself was a clunky one, not a spiffy thin one that had recently become all the rage for those on the technical edge. <br><br>Her closet door was closed, for the most part, though it had apparently caught on an errant dirty sock stuck between the door and the frame. The rest of the room was mostly clean, though the bed was disheveled. There were three pillows on it as well as a stuffed teddy bear and dolphin. The bed was queen size. Light red comforter, dark blue sheets, beige pillow cases, clearly not a box set.<br><br>Her dresser had a jewelry box and a few candles on it. her bedside table held a clock, a lamp, and a single picture of two people that were not her. The walls of the room were mostly unadorned. A single poster depicting a dolphin jumping out of a wave under a crescent moon hung over the sturdy headboard. Opposite the bed was a TV stand with a television and combo VHS/DVD player. It was much smaller than the one in the living room.<br><br>Jess smiled and nipped Baxter's ear gently. She made sure her hot breath ran over the skin of it as she said, "Again, not much, but it's home." Her hand wrapped around to his neck and fingers tangled in the base of his hair, "Forgive the mess, won't you." She asked before licking behind his ear a little and rubbing the nape of his neck.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 03:19:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What mess?" Baxter asked as he carried her over to her bed and laying her across it. Although he had a bemused smile, he respectfully sat her teddy bear and dolphin onto a nightstand before crawling in bed beside her, his hand making a small circle on her stomach as he looked into her eyes. "I want to do something special for you, Jess, although it might weird you out a bit. You trust me enough to hold you tonight and I guarantee while this might scare you a little, it won't hurt you."<br><br>He took her hand and placed it against his, palm to palm. "Try to time your breath with mine. In, out, in out. I know it feels silly, but just play along. In out. Concentrate on the sound of my voice, feel the warmth in my hand, and breath in, and out. After a moment, you're going to start feeling something strange, sensations you've never felt before. Breath with me. That's right." He smiled at her as he continued to practice his breathing with her. "I'm harmonizing our bodies, and you're going to start feeling what I feel. It might be a little startling, but you're in no danger. If you want it to stop, just pull your hand away. Breath with me..."<br><br>After a minute or so of breathing, she realized she could 'feel' her hand pressing against his, not just his hand pressing against hers. It was a hard to wrap her head around until he leaned in and kissed her. Not only did she feel her own sensations and the thrill of the kiss. She felt his sensations as well, even the pressure in his pants as his arousal pulsed softly. He ran his tongue across her lips, and she could 'taste' what he was tasting, smell what he smelled, heard her moan though his ears and felt how her moan thrilled him. It was a little trippy, to say the least.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 21:23:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jessica chuckled as he asked what mess. He carried her across the room and rested her on her queen size bed. She looked up at him as he moved the bear and dolphin onto the nightstand and joined her. She felt his hand circle along the soft flesh of her tummy through her shirt and she smiled at him as he spoke. The words confused her some and made her curious. A single brow arched as she pondered his meaning and she nodded her ascent. "I trust you."<br><br>She let him move her hand to his palm, in fact enjoyed the feel of their skin lining up though her hand was smaller than his. The creases and folds, callouses and texture delighted Jessica as she'd always had a thing for the feel of skin on skin. Then he spoke again and she listened, hearing his breathing, matching the rise and fall of his chest. It did sound silly, but also romantic as he coaxed her along, timing her breaths to his, keeping their hands matched. She grinned a little, focusing on his voice. It wasn't difficult, she'd grown to like it very much in the short time they'd known each other. He continued and she wondered what sensations he referred to, but she trusted him so she did not worry. Then he explained and her eyes found his briefly before closing as the grin softened into a smile. She believed him, and even as she did she felt his feelings. The texture of her soft hand against his callouses, the creases, the folds, the small area it occupied.<br><br>Jessica squirmed a little, her eyes opening and finding his again, drinking in the depth of them as she kissed him, and she felt him kissing her and her returning it. The parting of his lips as his tongue danced across hers and the feeling of that tongue across her lips. A small shudder went through her body as she realized what she felt between his legs. Her breathing quickened as she observed the taste of her own lips and the subtle scent of herself in the air as her arousal strengthened. A moan escaped her lips as she pressed into him a little, letting her free hand move to his chest and trace circles around the skin there. The feelings were indescribable and yet no different than they'd ever been. More intense, <em>shared</em>. Her cheeks grew hot and she wondered briefly if he could feel that too while her fingers made a trail down the center of his chest. "Oh.. Oh my.." She finally said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Reality As Least Expected (Corinthi and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Corinthi</strong> on <strong>10-05-2009, 21:34:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At her breathless 'Oh my..', Baxter smiled and gave the side of her throat a little nuzzle, "Must have overshot that spell, Jess. I meant to share my feelings, not my thoughts." His teeth closed delicately on her earlobe, trapping it while his tongue traced over the sensitive skin. He wasn't sharing her feelings because the feedback could quickly become overwhelming and they'd both already agreed not to get too carried away. As aroused as she was already getting him, if he tapped into her arousal, he might as well just toss any semblance of control out the window.<br><br>He threaded his fingers through hers, making certain he didn't accidentally break the connection as he rolled over atop her, pressing his lean body against hers, one leg sliding between her thighs. His lips found hers because he simply loved kissing her. Jessica had a fresh, slightly sweet taste, and while it'd been ages since he'd kissed anyone, they had a natural chemistry, a shared rhythm that made it all just that much better.<br><br>His lips moved down to her throat, feeling her pulse race under her skin. He gave her skin a sharp little nip before soothing the bite with the flat of his tongue. He leaned up, looking into her eyes as he slid his hand underneath her top, fingers gliding over her stomach and her chest, before tracing along the bottom of her bra as his lips curled into a teasing smile.
			</dd>
		</dl>
		<div id="footer" class="smalltext">
			
			<span class="smalltext" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=credits" title="Simple Machines Forum" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF 2.0.19</a> |
 <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php" title="License" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF © 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org" title="Simple Machines" target="_blank" class="new_win">Simple Machines</a>
			</span>
		</div>