Fair Ladies (IC)

[Heritage]

"Changeling is a strange descriptions considering my return but it does fit. Coffee would be nice, since my home is always warm I refer to stay so. Would you like to change back first though? I do not know, but your attire seems strange for getting coffee."

Now it was Grim's turn to laugh. "Says the girl dressed like Mary Poppins? Not to dis the look, because it's kinda cool; I got to rock a hoop skirt myself a few weeks back." Then she peered down at her tight leather and nodded in agreement. "But you've gotta point; this look really only works if I'm punching folks or in certain clubs in Riverside."

Her working clothes shifted and recombined into a more seasonal look; low-heeled boots, jeans, navy blue parka and a colorful alapca hat laced under her chin.

"Okay, much better. You can call me Lynn like this; don't worry, my secret identity is paper-thin. C'mon, let's get you inside; I'm pretty much starkers all the time, so cold doesn't bug me too much."

Lynn led Etain to a cozy hole-in-the-wall place called The Artful Dodger, fairly packed with shoppers coming in to warm up. A youthful singer/guitarist was playing an old Simon and Garfunkel song in the corner, and the freshly-made coffee and pasteries smelled simply delicious.

"They've got booths in back, give us a bit more privacy."

[Aoiroo]

"Who?"

She watched the shifting energies of the woman as they moved along to the cozy cafe. Etain moved quietly as they pushed through the and dodged around the crowds into the cafe. While a little loud it was far nicer in the warmth and crowd of people then the cold lonely parking lot. Moving to the back Etain said in eerie clarity dispite the noise of the crowd,

"It does not matter, no one should hear us regardless."

[Heritage]

"It does not matter, no one should hear us regardless."

Once they found a nice booth, Lynn scootched in, removed her jacket and hat (revealing non-pointed ears underneath) and picked up a laminated double-sided menu, printed on bright yellow paper.

"Oh, are you doing a thing with your voice? Cool. Yeah, I figure it's easier to talk about weird stuff in a place like this then in a quiet resturaunt, y'know?" She scanned the menu with eager eyes. "To be honest, I don't need to eat or drink anymore, and I usually just glamour up food if I feel like eating something, but now and then I still like to eat the real stuff." She thumped her chest twice with a fist. "Because I'm real, dawg!" Lynn flashed the teenager a goofy grin, then looked back at the many tasty choices.

"Ooh, pumpkin spice latte sounds nummy! So, can you tell me how long you were 'overseas', or at least how long since you've been back?"

[Aoiroo]

Picking up the menu she started to skim and didn't take her eyes off of it as she started talking.

"The peppermint things seem interesting, there seems to be a lot of places using that flavor."

Closing the menu she started to count on her fingers,

"Time is rather fickle, if I were to date it by my current age, I have been 'away' for seventeen years. However, if I date by the age as percheived by people here, I have been away for a little more than a hundred and twenty years."

[Heritage]

"Time is rather fickle, if I were to date it by my current age, I have been 'away' for seventeen years. However, if I date by the age as percheived by people here, I have been away for a little more than a hundred and twenty years."

Lynn's eyes went a little wide at the mention of the time difference. "Well I guess that explains your fashion sense, at least." She shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot imagine the culture shock you must be going through; things have changed like crazy in just my lifetime, and I'm only in my early twenties! Okay, I'm gonna gets me a pepper and egg sammich; they toast the bread and crumble feta cheese on it, which is soooo good."

An energetic waitress with several facial piercings came by to take their orders, and complemented Etain on her cool retro wardrobe; once they were alone again, Lynn resumed their previous conversation.

"So when you made all those knives and chains and stuff, that was glamour, right? You learned how to do that over there?"

[Aoiroo]

She put down her menu quietly,

"There is very little about culture that shocks me, it is people that surprise me most. It does not really matter the time that has past, as I was very young when I left this plane and only really knew the world of my home growing up with my parents. My being with them only ever struck me as odd in recent years and even then it was not like finding my origins made me think much differently."

Smiling politely at the waitress as she ordered a triple peppermint mocha she thanked her graciously before she left them to themselves once more,

"Though, I do not think I will never get why someone would willing have metal be poked into them."

Pushing the menu aside as the subject of magic came up again, she took her thumb and and forefinger and snapped leaving a light flame at the end of her thumb just drifting there like it was a lighter.

"My glamour, it is not like yours. It is incomplete."

The flame drifted off her thumb and slowly closer to Lynn casting shadows over her fingers and licking off light warmth,

"You feel the heat, and you see the light, but that is only because you expect it to do so. But,"

Picking up a napkin from a basket on the table she held it in the flame directly but it remained whole not even browning a little to the touch,

"It is simply a shadow."

Reaching out she cupped the flame in her hand and it went out.

[Heritage]

"My glamour, it is not like yours. It is incomplete."

The flame drifted off her thumb and slowly closer to Lynn casting shadows over her fingers and licking off light warmth,

"You feel the heat, and you see the light, but that is only because you expect it to do so. But,"

Picking up a napkin from a basket on the table she held it in the flame directly but it remained whole not even browning a little to the touch,

"It is simply a shadow."

Reaching out she cupped the flame in her hand and it went out.

The phantasmal flame held the shapeshifter's gaze transfixed as it flickered and danced before the changeling snuffed it out; Lynn shook her head and grinned. "Wow, that was cool; I could totally feel that, even smell it! But it was just an illusion? That's still super cool, though."

She held out her hand and opened it to reveal a tiny porcelain figurine of Etain herself, complete with highly detailed clothing. "I can't produce any kind of energy, not even the illusion of it, but the stuff I make is as hard as stone, unless you touch it with iron; then it just melts away into nothing." She stood the figure up on the table between them, then folded her arms as she leaned forward to peer at it. "I don't even have to think about it; it just lasts until I dismiss it, or the iron thing happens." She created another figurine, this time of herself in her winter clothing, and placed it next to the first. "I wonder why our powers are so different, despite pretty much coming from the same place?"

[Aoiroo]

She smiled at the little figurine reaching out and picking it up.

"It is because I am still human while you are not. The glamour you manipulate it is a part of you that has been changed by your will. I cannot manipulate such things because my body is like most humans. If I had perhaps choosen to be a halfing I might be able to do something similiar, but I did not think it was nessicary since my illusions are very good."

Rubbing her thumb over the details quietly she set the figure down next to the Lynn figurine,

"They are usually not dispelled because people very rarely realize they are not real, and even if they do, very few can break the illusion because it means going against all there senses to do so. It is very useful for troublesome people, while it cannot actually hurt them they feel pain if I wish it and tend to not wish to continue because of it."

[Heritage]

"It is because I am still human while you are not. The glamour you manipulate it is a part of you that has been changed by your will. I cannot manipulate such things because my body is like most humans. If I had perhaps choosen to be a halfing I might be able to do something similiar, but I did not think it was nessicary since my illusions are very good."

Their coffee arrived and Lynn took a long savory sip of her pumpkin spice. "Mmm, that is heaven! It never tastes quite as good when I make stuff, which is just as well I guess." She set down her cup and sighed. "So wow, you had a choice in the matter? Interesting! I wonder what I would have chosen, if I'd one." Then she shrugged affably. "Oh well, no use pondering what might have been; I barely remember what it used to feel like to be me."

"So how are things at Claremont? Classes okay?" Her tone seemed only casually interested, but actually Lynn was hanging on every word; any news about Zephyr or certain other students would be filled away for later use.

[Aoiroo]

"You said that it was death that allowed you access to the fae, I would think that if you had choosen, you would of taken the path that led here regardless. Not many people get such a chance, death is a rather greedy beast list."

Picking up her own mocha she blew on it quietly before taking a sip. It had a nice sweetness with the added mint though the whipped creme put a little fuzz on her lip that she wiped away with a napkin.

"Yes though, I was given the choice. If asked well enough there are very few choices questions that cannot be answered at home, since untruths are nonexistant there."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil case casually which she unclipped and revealed a plastic spoon which she used to stir and take some whipped creme off of her mocha.

"Claremont is interesting. It is hard to talk to people, because well we are the same but still very different. Plus my English is not very good."

[Heritage]

"You said that it was death that allowed you access to the fae, I would think that if you had choosen, you would of taken the path that led here regardless. Not many people get such a chance, death is a rather greedy beast list."

The way she said that really brought something home for Lynn; 'death allowed you access to the fae'. It really was true; her great-grandfather Ira had some magical abilities as they shared the same bloodline, but it was only through Lynn's death that Grimalkin could be born. The shapeshifter experienced a rare shudder at the thought.

"Yes though, I was given the choice. If asked well enough there are very few choices questions that cannot be answered at home, since untruths are nonexistant there."

Yep, that sounded like twisted faerie logic, at least as much of it as she'd been exposed to, which thankfully wasn't much.

"Claremont is interesting. It is hard to talk to people, because well we are the same but still very different. Plus my English is not very good."

"God, I hated high school; I wonder if it would have been easier if I'd gone to a place like Claremont. Of course, if I had my powers back then, I would have been a menace to society; no one would be safe!"

She decided not to push on Claremont, just in case her motives became more transparent. Instead she shifted the focus back to comparing their relative powers.

"So can you fly or transform or anything else? What's the biggest thing you've ever glamoured up?"

[Aoiroo]

"I do not know how to feel about it, I did not go to school before Claremont. It is strange, and somewhat hard but fun sometimes."

Finishing her whipped cream she took another sip of her mocha,

"As for powers, as I said, I am human so my form is always what you see here. I cannot change it, and since I have no wings cannot fly. As for size, my powers have been bound to prevent such things so my illusions only stop at a few yards."

Well at least at the start, the binding seemed to weaken if she used them more continually and she could increase her range gradually because of it.

"Though if I need to, I control all sensation in those few yards. An example."

She reached out and tapped Lynn's coffee cup. The liquid became a clear amber,

"Are you fond of scotch? One of my guardians keeps a bottle of this in his den, it has a rather strong flavor and you remind me of it."

[Heritage]

"Are you fond of scotch? One of my guardians keeps a bottle of this in his den, it has a rather strong flavor and you remind me of it."

Lynn laughed as she sniffed the apparent contents of her cup. "Wow, that's about the coolest compliment I've ever gotten; so will this get me drunk, or at least make me think I'm drunk?" She took a cautious sip and felt the fire go all the way down the back of her throat, shuddering involuntarily. "Ooh, that's good fake hootch! This is awesome!"

She took another sip, aware of the fact that the real coffee must still be hot, and she didn't want to burn her throat without realizing it. Then a thought crossed her mind. "Wait a sec, how do you know what that scotch tastes like?" She smirked and wagged a scolding finger. "You bad, bad girl!"

[Aoiroo]

"I can make you intoxicated if you wish for it, or buzzed, I can simulate any state of mind I have experienced."

She smiled quietly at her finger waving,

"I'll have you know it was offered too me, and you must know such things are not considered bad at home. Though alcohol made by 'them' has several flavors, most of 'them' find it rather hard to get intoxicated in the first place. Unless dwalves make it of course. Their blends are very strong that it can make 'them' tipsy after a few glasses, and a human would be under the table after a single sip."

[Heritage]

"I can make you intoxicated if you wish for it, or buzzed, I can simulate any state of mind I have experienced."

Lynn chuckled. "Tempting, but I think I'll pass." She extended her hand and made a wiggly motion with her fingers. "When I'm out in public, I usually try to keep it cool, since I don't want to slip up with my powers. Another time, maybe."

"I'll have you know it was offered too me, and you must know such things are not considered bad at home. Though alcohol made by 'them' has several flavors, most of 'them' find it rather hard to get intoxicated in the first place. Unless dwalves make it of course. Their blends are very strong that it can make 'them' tipsy after a few glasses, and a human would be under the table after a single sip."

At this the brunette pixie laughed out loud. "Oh sure, use the Avril Lavigne 'But it's legal in Canada' line, why don't you." She smiled and shook her head. "But yeah, I get it; my folks let me have a bit of wine on the major holidays, and I turned out okay...mostly." At the mention of the makers of exotic liquors, she perked up a bit. "Wow, have you actually met any dwarves? Do the women really have beards, or is that all BS?"

[Aoiroo]

She took a second to sip her mocha before looking Lynn in the eye and saying,

"I am not exactly sure who you are talking about. But, my guardian does not seem terribly bothered as long as I do not do such things in excess. I do not believe I have used my powers while intoxicated before."

She was usually good about doing such things in her home, given, the magic there was so common that no one really bothered or was not so easily fooled so it was too mundane to try to do to impress someone.

"Why would they? The woman are much more sturdy than the ones here, but not very different. Dwarves are all very sturdy, their realm is harsher then this one and requires them to be very strong. It is why their brews are so strong too."

With another sip she finished her drink with a quiet breath.

"Though it is less harsh now, because there is stable connection between their realm and home. Very beneficial since 'they' make such pretty things with magic, and dwarves make great weapons even without casting in iron."

[Heritage]

"Why would they? The woman are much more sturdy than the ones here, but not very different. Dwarves are all very sturdy, their realm is harsher then this one and requires them to be very strong. It is why their brews are so strong too."

With another sip she finished her drink with a quiet breath.

"Though it is less harsh now, because there is stable connection between their realm and home. Very beneficial since 'they' make such pretty things with magic, and dwarves make great weapons even without casting in iron."

Lynn's cheeks went a little pink as she waved a hand dismissively. "It's this dumb thing, the beard bit; you know what, just forget it." Then she looked up happily as her feta cheese pepper and egg sandwich arrived. "Cool, thank you! Well, it's nice to know that Tolkien got some of it right; it would be cool to see dwarven craftsmanship up close." She took a huge bite of her sandwich and munched it with great relish.

"Mmm, fis is so goo! I wuf real foo!"

She swallowed with great effort (a little magic might have been involved), then chased it with a big swig of pumpkin spice latte, forgetting that it still tasted like scotch; the look of shock on her face was simply priceless.

"Whoaaaa, doggie!" The shapeshifter shook her head vigorously. "Bwuh-ha-ha! Um, I'm gonna need my coffee back now, if that's okay with you. Woosh!"

[Aoiroo]

She giggled at the exagurated gestures of her companion as the amber liquid turned dark brown once more. Pushing her own coffee aside she entertwined her fingers and set a fist on the table in front of her as she crossed her legs.

"It is nice to see someone so lively, there is always this sense of nervousness when I am at school. I do not think many people are so comfortable with their skills, I know of one girl there who I do not think I have ever seen smile."

Putting a finger on her lips she started to think for a little bit,

"Though I guess where I have been might be considered strange in the comfort people use their skills there. You seem rather comfortable using yours, it is a nice change of pace."

[Heritage]

"It is nice to see someone so lively, there is always this sense of nervousness when I am at school. I do not think many people are so comfortable with their skills, I know of one girl there who I do not think I have ever seen smile."

Lynn took took anther sip of coffee as she pondered that last bit.

And I think I know who that is; Erin oh Erin, what are we going to do with you?

"Though I guess where I have been might be considered strange in the comfort people use their skills there. You seem rather comfortable using yours, it is a nice change of pace."

Wiping her mouth with her hand, the older girl shrugged. "Well I've had a few years to get comfortable with them, and being on a team where I get to use them on a regular basis is also a huge help." She sighed as she considered her sandwich, sizing up her next bite. "But the sad fact is, I was already a weirdo before all this happened to me; maybe that's why all this magic business feels as natural as breathing."

(chomp!)

[Aoiroo]

"What I find most strange, is how a realm of such large mix of different creatures can think to find much strange at all. Especially magic, it seems to be one of the few stable things about this realm despite misuse."

Resting her elbow on the table she propped her chin into it quietly,

"Good example is this large building they made for sciences, I had to visit it for school. I had two companions who worked there and were reliable but we nearly were killed three seperate times because of the faulty tools that were suppose to be considered so advanced."

She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back into her chair,

"It proved more frightening than facing off against a greater demon, though I was not alone than either I got some assistance from a local teacher who could speak Latin."

[Heritage]

"It proved more frightening than facing off against a greater demon, though I was not alone than either I got some assistance from a local teacher who could speak Latin."

Finishing off the last of her tasty snadwich, Lynn wiped her mouth with a napkin. "The fact is, most people know as little about science as they do about magic; when you turn the key, the car starts and you can drive to work. What makes the car go? Science!" She smiles. "Science makes sense because it's predicable, unless something goes wrong. Magic is just as predicible as science, if not more so, but people don't undertsand the rules."

She sighed deeply as she swept the crumbs off the table and onto her plate. "My mom teaches college physics, and she always told me horror stories of how ignorant some of her studets are, which really frustrates her. To be honest, I think we've just gotten lazy; we live in a push button world where you can get whatever you want, at least in America." At last, she shrugged. "I dunno, I had a point about five minutes ago, but I seem to have lost it somewhere along the way."

Her meal complete, the shapeshifter drummed the table with her hands. "I don't know about you, but I'm still a little antsy; we should go to a club or something, or beat up more bad guys."

[Aoiroo]

"Well people often fear what they do not understand, and sometimes even more so when they do. But it is probably because there is no one that teaches magic because it is not so easy to use in this realm as the sciences."

She pushed her drink to the tables edge to be taken when the waitress came back around.

"They will not let me inside of clubs because I do not have a card. Plus even if I go in, it is not so kind on my clothing. I try to dance, but people keep stepping on my skirt and they get it very dirty. As for bad guys, I am not sure where you mean to find them."

[Heritage]

"They will not let me inside of clubs because I do not have a card. Plus even if I go in, it is not so kind on my clothing. I try to dance, but people keep stepping on my skirt and they get it very dirty. As for bad guys, I am not sure where you mean to find them."

The faerie from New Jersey waved a dismissive hand at Etain's concerns. "Mere triffles for folks like you and me. First of all-" She flicked out her fingers, and a perfectly-made New Jersey state driver's license with Etain's face and vitals (all made up, of course) appeared between them. "But of course, that would be highly illegal, and therefore bad." With a snap, the card was gone in a puff of vapor. "Actually I'm surprised you never tried that with your illusions; I'd think it would be a piece of cake for you."

Lynn leaned forward and laid a friendly hand on the changeling's boot. "The thing of it is, there are a few all-ages clubs in Freedom City, and one or two of them actually don't suck, so you can't use that as an excuse. But yeah, your Victorian threads would be a problem. Lucky for you-" She reached inside her parka and then pulled out a little black dress on a hanger. "I carry spare outfits in my pockets."

She carefully laid the dress across the table and indicated it with a nod. "That should fit you, if you wanna to try it on in the ladies' room, but you'd need other stuff, too; y'know, shoes, stockings, underwear that doesn't buckle up the back..."

[Aoiroo]

"Well, it is not like it is something I tried to do after the first time. Even than, they wouldn't let me try to sing or play when the band kept missing the notes. Also, they had really strange music, it was not even catchy just random words that didn't seem to make sense with a weird beat."

Looking forward she glanced down at the outfit before letting out a sigh,

"I do not really feel terribly comfortable with something like this. It is not simply that I am used to these clothing, it is that, well I am not so good with irons. It is not just wrought irons, metals mixed with it have the same effect. Though it is not as bad as with true fae as touch is required but there is so much metal with iron, that I do not like to have skin exposed and my clothing provides good layers so it does not touch."

[Heritage]

"Well, it is not like it is something I tried to do after the first time. Even than, they wouldn't let me try to sing or play when the band kept missing the notes. Also, they had really strange music, it was not even catchy just random words that didn't seem to make sense with a weird beat."

"I do not really feel terribly comfortable with something like this. It is not simply that I am used to these clothing, it is that, well I am not so good with irons. It is not just wrought irons, metals mixed with it have the same effect. Though it is not as bad as with true fae as touch is required but there is so much metal with iron, that I do not like to have skin exposed and my clothing provides good layers so it does not touch."

As Etain explained her aversion to dance clubs, Lynn delicately picked up the dress and tucked it back in her parka, or so it appeared since she just dismissed it when it was out of sight.

"Wow, you really did grow up in another dimension." She held her arms up in front of her and moved her head warily from side to side. "'Your mortal world frightens and confuses me!'" She dropped the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer bit and shook her head sadly. "That actually kinda sucks; you share, like, no culture with most of the kids you're gonna meet in this world. So what did you do for fun back home? Dance on moonbeams?"