Summary:Alex, Laura and Ifede find each other in Times Square. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Halloween night and Times Square is alive and electric with the ghosts and goblins that have sauntered forth to lay claim upon what worldly goods they might seek to satisfy their spirit before the morning comes. Mixed amongst all of those ghostly and spooky figures are any number of mortals, dressed in some form to blend in with the actual creatures of the night. Though Alexander Aaron…
He is neither of those things and both of them. Not mortal yet costumed. Not a spirit yet mystical. And yet the way he's been all smiles, the way he's been strutting down the sidewalk in his late 1700s period garb dressed like some New Orleans French nobleman of blond persuasion and with a set of fangs in his mouth that match with his leering grin, he seems entirely at home with the spectacle.
It could be in the way he hops along the street, avoiding the crowd by leaping to the news stand, then hopping of the stand and onto the roof of the bus stop. Then jumping off the bus stop and landing on a newspaper vending machine, only to /swwwwing/ around a lamp post as if he were singing in the rain only the current underfoot is humanity, and he wades through them with ease.
"Karaoke!" He announces again, as their objective. For that is the current plan. His youthful exuberance is bright and happy and might to some be infectious. Perhaps not to the Wednesday Addams that walks with him, but perhaps to others.
It's rare that anyone has seen him so enthused, so filled with life. But perhaps that's because he feeds off of fear and throughout the night there are many who embrace that state of mind.
To say Laura is less enthused than her companion is quite the understatement. She is following along in his wake, able to easily navigate the crowd due to his antics having people parting. Some laugh and urge him on. Others give him a look that clearly say he has already had too many to drink. The joke's on them since he only had half a ginger ale.
Shehe had even less of her root beer before he had decided they must go sing karaoke. Laura, in her Wednesday Addams dress, hair braided, leggings and combat boots, had made the mistake of admitting she had no idea who she was dressed in. That hadn't been the worst part. Her failure to know there was a song related to the Addams Family had set off her companion.
Now they must go sing karaoke. "You seem very happy about this," she comments as she dodges a Captain America in a store bought costume who is staggering along with his Hello Kitty friend in the opposite direction.
Sure, Times Square had it's mix of music and it may just have been Ifede's cup of tea. But she was out to mingle with the Gods and allow them to imbue and enjoy, which she'll allow because she's a gracious thing. A gracious thing who wears a pair of Beats headphones around her neck which totally ruins the costume that she wears.
She moves like magic; Ifede is surrounded by it. Her costume, traditional African Queen garb with a mantle (headpiece) that reaches far into the sky, crystals that dangle from each hook to pronounce said royalty. Green, purples, light tans and blacks line her body; first by the top which is a simple wrap that covers her most private, leaving her mid-drift bare, and a thick wrap that crowns her hips with coins that dazzle. And feet. Bare. Teeth adorn each appendage and drawings were fixed upon her dark skin, but Ifede is magic, and those drawings glow like blue runes.
The Ori that remain summoned and out only for one night make their appearance. The elements swirl around her, earth.. water.. fire.. mimicking a cartoon that she saw years back. But what better way for them to be there with her in the moment! The devil-goats head that is etched upon her middle however, glows a deep red instead of a bright blue like the rest.
There was Papa Legba.
Thankfully, this entire magical get-up allows people to give Ifede a wide berth, and allows her to enjoy the various costumes and people that litter the streets of Times Square.
Dropping off of the lamp post, Alexander-Lestat starts to walk along the sidewalk, grinning with wicked fangs evident, though to actually talk to Laura he has to pull them free and tuck them into his hand. So he leans over and not quite shouts but has to speak a little louder than normal to be heard over the crowd, "What's not to be happy about?"
Quite a lot of things actually, though in this moment Alexander is lost in that lovely tide of mental rushes and fears that come along each year around this time. It is one side of his godhead that he never mentions, the way fear makes him feel, the way the excitement twins with it, how crowds can be so rife with the potential of the thing.
But for now he plays it off, "I just like to dress up sometimes." And he does make a rather convincing Lestat, though more Stuart Townsend than Tom Cruise.
Of course that's the moment he espies Ifede from afar, just a flicker of a glimpse that offers recognition and then she disappears. "Hey, I know her!" He announces and dives back into the crowd, mission now chosen to reunite with the woman of the wild headdress. Luckily easily seen through the mass of people.
"Ifede! Ifede! It's Alex." Like she'd know him.
"I feel like there is more to it than that. You seem to be getting happier as the night goes. Yet, not drinking." Laura isn't stupid but she can't really peg why he is acting differently than she is used to. Generally he is just this affable sort of guy. When he isn't being a jerk. Sadly, he was sometimes a jerk as their first meeting had proven. Yet, they had moved beyond that.
Suddenly he was off again, yelling for someone in the crowd. All Laura could do was roll her eyes a bit and follow. Now at a faster pace since he had longer strides and was making use of them.
Ifede was permanently unbothered by those oo's and aahh's if anyone gave them to her, she gave it right back with a wave and a call out to someone who had an obscure costume with a laugh and a clap, though no one could get close! "I know who you are!" She would say, and they would say she was something else. Like some Princess from Coming to America, even though the garb was entirely different. Still, it made her laugh!
She does her her name however, and that makes her finally turn her music off, the headphones slipped from around her neck, folded, and placed into her hip-cloth. Turning around, dark eyes spy the crowd until she lays eyes on Lestat.
Which was hilarious.
"Aaaah. I remember you Lestat de Loincourt. But I no Akasha. Not like tat skinny girl they done had played on the tv!" She lets out a boisterous laugh. This was great! She even peeks to the side to see another person coming, and offers up a finger wave in hello. "Wen-si-day is ma spirit animal! Love you girl!" She says to Laura.
"Ah, mon cheri." Alexander offers with accent thick and entirely played for effect. He rests a hand on the center of his chest and declares, "You know her well, c'est bonn?" He could almost pass as French. Or maybe a drunk Belgian. Either/or. But then he continues, "She is the Wednesday of zee Addams. Ohn-hohn-hohh." He laughs Frenchly.
"Ok I haven't read the books," He admits. But then he steps to the side and back, sweeping them both now into a small conversational bubble within the crowd, people knowing instinctively to walk around and past the three of those worthies now gathered.
"Can you believe she doesn't know the song? We were going to go find somewhere and sing it. Karaoke!" His voice rises happily at the end there, then he adds in a more reasonable tone, no French accent anymore. "But is that like… still a thing that people do?" He asks as he starts to walk along…
And there is something about the youth, the casual charisma and presence of him that might almost make those around him feel like it'd be such a wonderful thing to go with him and partake.
"Eesh." Ifede snaps out. "Ton accent est horrible!" She laughs again, clearly having a good time. Ifede didn't have a drink save for a cup of juice that she purchased a few moments ago, she.. quite nearly like Alex, runs on a natural high. Though his may not be so. "But yes.." Ifede switches to a more americanized accent so that Laura wouldn't stare and go 'wha', "..who does not adore Wennies-day Addams. And you need not read the books if you watch the movie. Not same, but time saver. Books are wonderful. But you are also not a young teenaged girl." As Alex walks along, Ifede keeps the proper distance.
The elements that orbit around her were alive, and if anyone touches the ring of fire, the would be burned. "What song, child?" She asks Alex. "People still do yes. Specialty bars. Event spaces.." She glances up towards the darkened sky, even buildings from afar were throwing confetti and soft candies from their windows.. "..not native to here, ya' guess is good'n mine."
"You know," Alexander turns around and starts walking backwards through the crowd with that too casual step-stride-step that has people getting out of the way but also seeming not entirely too pleased about it in some cases. He has that over the top attitude of simply being in the world and expecting it to bend to his whims. At least for tonight.
"They're Creepy and They're Kooky?"
"Mysterious and spooky?"
"Altogether Ooky?"
But he doesn't go on beyond that, though he smiles as if expecting Ifede or Laura to follow up and finish the stanza before he turns back around and keeps walking. "So yah we're going to go do some karaoke and expose Wednesday to that pop culture."
"That song." He may have been hoping she would finish it but Laura is ever the stick-in-the-mud. "He didn't tell me there was a song. Honestly, I don't even know who she is. A friend said she would be perfect for me though." She gives a helpless shrug. "No idea why."
She continues to trail along with the pair, keeping her distance from those elements swirling around Ifede. She can feel the heat, smell the moisture from the water, pick up on those things even with some distance. At the question about karaoke, she glances away even while still following, reaching out with her hearing but it is such a cacophony of sound in the Square, there is no hope of picking out a bar with bad singing coming from it right now. Thus, Google is her friend. She pulls a phone out of a hidden pocket in the dress and typed in a search for karaoke in the area.
"The song is good, you should not be ashamed of the song." Says Alexander as he walks along, pausing and slowing his pace along enough to peer over Laura's shoulder and to look at what she's typing up on her cell phone. Ah. Logistics.
Boring.
He picks up the pace again and spreads his hands, "But you're right though. I think I always loved Halloween since this is sort of my holiday." He swaps his fangs into the other hand and spreads his arms as if embracing the entire city while he walks and talks. "I mean…" He turns, "I am the God of Fear, right?"
He then lifts his arms and cries out to the city itself, shouting into the night. "So this is MY holiday!" As he lays claim to All Hallow's Eve and all.
Then he rounds back, "Though I suppose I'll share it. For now." He says, as if he had sway in what happened.
"I don't think you have a choice." Laura glances around at the crowds surrounding them before focusing back on Alex. "Unless you want to tell them all to go home. I doubt they would listen very well."
She looks back to her phone screen then up, checking the area they are in and pointing off to the west. "That way. About two blocks. Jim's Place. Apparently karaoke all night and it has several stars saying it is the best in the city." She tucks her phone back away for now.
Something occurs to her and she eyes Alex. "You must love haunted houses."
"Mmm," Alexander turns around as they start their sojourn forward, taking a turn off of Times Square proper and now being confronted with much less of a crowd. He slides his hands into his satin pockets and strolls along, leather boot heels clicking on the pavement. "Not really. I've avoided these sorts of settings for a long time."
A sidelong glance is given toward Laura as he says, "So consider this like therapy. You can inform Ms. Frost that I am… 'embracing' aspects of my godhood. But celebrating Halloween. Around a lot of people." Who help to make him feel… good.
He lifts fingers and wiggles them as if he were casting a spell, though he's just making a conversational gesture, "I just don't want to get addicted to it I suppose. To be completely frank."
As they start leaving Times Square behind them, Laura relaxes the tiniest bit. It's not something that is obvious but she was on guard being in such close quarters. She's still guarded but now she can move more easily and not worry about a knife in the ribs. The press of humanity being gone, she can pick up noises and smells more easily.
She won't need the phone now as she hears a rendition of Delta Dawn in the distance. Whoever is singing honestly should never go near a stage. Thankfully, her companions shouldn't pick it up unless their hearing is enhanced. If they can? She pities them for suffering it with her.
"So you try to avoid people who are afraid if possible?" she asks, honestly curious how this whole thing works. Her? Uncomplicated. Stabbity stab. That's about it. Alright, maybe more to it with the senses and instincts but it usually boils down to claws.
A deep breath is taken as Alexander walks along, his hands still deep in the pockets of that rather elaborate coat. He tilts his head to the side thoughtfully, letting his bright blue eyes slide over people, storefronts, the windshields of cars they wander by. Eventually he lets it go in a small hint of a sigh before he answers.
"Kind of?" He offers succinctly and without detail.
He then slides a long-fingered hand out of that pocket and waves it to the side, as if motioning to the world entire. "You know what Tinnitus is right?" He looks sidelong toward Laura and awaits some hint that she does.
"Well for me, I have this… feeling. It's always there, in the back of my mind, it's keyed onto like… the world?" A small smile is shot in the little x-person's direction as he strolls. "This just sort of hum or feeling of fear in the background. What people are experiencing, how much so. Doesn't do anything for me really. It's just a feeling of being on the edge of a rapidly moving river. My father said he feels the same sort of way but about his own sphere of influence."
"So it's always there and I'm sensitive to the vibe. And yah I can sort of avoid the intensity directly if I choose. But I can't avoid all of it."
When he asks about Tinnitus, she does give a small nod as she sort of leads the way down the sidewalk since she knows where their destination is. Thankfully, the last singer is done and now there is a woman up there who actually has a good voice. It's some upbeat song about Sunshine which Laura has never heard before.
She pays close attention during the explanation. Pretty fascinating really. She imagines it is like that for telepaths in some way, always aware of things out there on the fringes. Or like her senses. She can pick up on things long before they are nearby, little bits of information that is left behind as people go through their days. Yet, to have it be something like an emotion and sense…everything. She shakes her head a little, unable to wrap her head around something that expansive. "Seems like it would be overwhelming. You have a lot of experience with it by this point though. Keeping it from doing so."
Most of the way, Ifede fell silent. Allowing the two youngers to speak about themselves or Alex himself, soaking in the information and keeping her thoughts to herself. Nothing to ask, nothing to add. Vagueness was her social cue.
Also, it was like an internal conversation. The views of the random people were slowly dying out, a couple pass by laughing as they are Thing One and Thing Two, locked arm in arm with an occasional kiss to the exposed cheek, and the hair which was fitted sloppily fixed as they moved on. Ifede offers a smile to the passing couple, and soon as they were out of sight she creates a few small signals with her hand, disappating the elements within her form to allow the glowing runes upon her skin a myriad of color.
The Gods were still among them, but muted.
"In my little knowledge of how things work, from birth 'ee' easier to maintain. Like born with lost limb. You adapt. All you know."
"I don't know if you'd call it a lot." Alexander turns then to face the two of them, shifting his gait so they can all come together in a casuals stride three abreast. He smiles a little toward Ifede as she rejoins the conversation but answers Laura first. "I'm going to be twenty soon. And I've had my abilities for almost a decade now?" Though he's used them rather sparingly.
"So for a normal person, I guess I am more used to them?" He lifts a hand and rubs at the back of his neck thoughtfully then tilts his head toward Ifede, "But for one of my family, I'm still a noob." Since they have millennia on him in that arena.
He waves a hand then, "Anyways, enough about me. Ifede will you sing with us?" The way he says those last few words, there's a hint of formality to them, as if it were a question that carried some weight to it, or mystical onus.
Laura glances over at Ifrede, watching as the elements fade though the glow still remains from those runes. It's truly an amazing effect and one she doesn't understand at all.
The ease with which Alex is talking about his heritage and his powers has her wondering a bit. He must know Ifede well and trust her.
As he asks about the singing, she glances over to the woman. So formal. Was she missing something?
Ifede didn't know much about Alex, but it was slowly coming together. Like how he seemed to appear into the bar without being ejected, and the vague speak of his nature which seemed to tame the excitement down he once had once the crowd had thinned. Perhaps she gets it wrong, perhaps not. But those gears were turning.
"Sing? Sing what?" She asks curiously, now glancing up to the sky herself. "I may have a song or two in me, 'av to make an offering before I even -try-. Could be dire. They be listening." She points up, then down.
"Know y' heard about the earthquake in 'Laska? S'when an L'Ori sing and not make a proper offerin', Risha get -pissed-."
"Well first, the Addam's Family song." At that he grins as he strolls along, shooting a look toward Wednesday Addams, then sharing a conspiratorial one with Ifede, fully expecting her to be aware of that song. "But… I figure after that then we can indulge and choose whatever."
That said he takes another deep breath and then lets it free with a wry smile, "A nice way to pass the evening and that way I don't run around and make too much of a fool of myself out in public."
He picks up the pace and half walks and half jogs toward the karaoke bar, "So clearly the next best thing is to make a fool of myself in private." At that he flashes that wicked grin and stuffs his fangs back into his mouth.
Laura manages to not look up and down as Ifede points. It's a close thing but she does manage it. More confusion as she tries to piece this one together and fails utterly.
"The bar is public," Laura says helpfully, in case he had any illusions to the contrary. "So you will still be embarassing yourself publicly." She tilts her head a moment as he puts the teeth back in. "And if you sing with those, it will be even worse." She thinks a moment then there is the faintest of smiles. "Which will be better for us, I think. So do keep them in. But I'm not singing. I don't sing."
Ifede wrinkles her nose, then points at her arm. "Do you not see the melanin riddled in my skin? We do not sing that song on kareoke."
Well, it's true. Most African American's are more than likely to sing something Flo Rida made than the Addam's family themesong. "Little Alexander, trying to steal my cards." She cracks out a loud laugh at that, even clapping. The notion of it all made her happy.
In a way, she was more in the sentiment of Laura, when Ifede does sing, it's usually in the shower. Any talent that was used for public needed preparation, and quietly, Ifede was already clearing her throat in preparation. "Hope people pour heavy.." It's going to be a long night.
Ifede Babatunde says, "Dumbest Clint ever."