2012-10-07: A Little Help From My Friends

Players:

JillV_icon.jpg Kalindi_icon.jpg

Summary: Kalindi isn't very fond of the Church of Humanity either and after a nice lunch agrees to aid the cause. It's what super(natural) best friends are for!

Date: October 7, 2012

Log Title: A Little Help From My Friends

Rating: G


NYC - Mutant Town (Avenue A)

Mutant Town, also known as District X, has become a haven for mutants. This section of town doesn't care what you look like, accepting all mutants no matter what their appearance. Most of the businesses in this section of town are mutant run ranging from small convenience stores to clothing shops to restaurants to night clubs. The buildings here aren't the high rise buildings you might find in mid-town but most are about 5-6 stories high. Mutant Town might not be the most luxurious section of town, in fact it's fairly run down, but this section of where mutants are safe and welcomed regardless of race, religion and culture.


Mutant Town businesses cater to their own. Small, independent establishments are the norm, where the owners and operators aren't beholden to corporate interests and discriminatory policies. The Cafe Double R is small, family owned, and known to have one of the most diverse menus around, boasting authentic dishes from over two dozen countries. Its' small tables and long serving counter are open from 6 AM to midnight, every day, rain or shine. Jill hasn't, and doesn't, spend a lot of time in Mutant Town, but it's always been friendly enough before. Lately, though, the feel of the neighborhood has gotten insular, even a little suspicious of unfamiliar faces. She pushes open the front door tentatively, a tiny brass bell jingling. Sunglasses and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. Not suspicious at all.

Sitting at one of the tables, Kalindi is eating a spicy vegetarian dish from Thailand and drinking from a glass of water. The young sorceress spends a lot of her time in Mutant Town, and is someone that many have accepted as a regular presence. Nobody asks why she wears a golden cape, because hey, it's mutant town. Still, with tensions rising high, people are starting to find themselves under a bit more scrutiny. Kalindi, however, has been known to bite back when it comes to radical demonstrators trying to bring harm to mutants.

Pulling back her hood and doffing her sunglasses, Jill shakes out her hair and fingercombs it straight. The faint scent of something burned, or burning, clings closely to her. "Stupid sun." The old woman behind the lunch counter gives the vampire girl a brief look, but softly glowing red eyes seem enough of an identity check for now. "Kali," greets Jill with a fangy smile before dropping into a chair opposite the sorceress. "S'good to see you again. Oh, and, umm, thanks for the tip. I had to go to, like, six different people but I finally found what I was looking for. More or less." Lacing her fingers and resting her elbows on the table, chin on her knuckles, she elaborates, "No cures or anything, but I figured that was kind of a long shot anyway. But I did get some help. So yeah, thanks. A lot."

Kalindi looks up from her meal and says, "Ah, yes, it is not a problem. I will continue looking for such things, but, well… the books I have are a hand-me-down from the Count Dracula, and so I do not think that a 'cure' would be among them…" She takes a sip of her water and then remarks, "You should keep out of the sun, you know, it is bad for your skin, yes? Do you wear sunscreen, does it help?"

"Very bad for my skin, yes," Jill agrees, plucking a paper napkin from a dispenser and dabbing at her face and the backs of her hands. Everything else is covered. The smell of ashes and cooking meat is already fading. "I have been, and it helps a bit. SPF 50 is the highest I can find anywhere. But I need, like, SPF 9000 or something."

"I have seen SPF 90," offers Kalindi, helpfully, "It is not really something that I need. My skin is pale for where I am from but it is darker than most in this place…" She considers for a few moments and says, "Maybe I will be able to figure out some kind of potion, or such things that you can put on the skin that would help. You know, if you would ever like to visit me, it would be fine to visit during the night, that is usually when I am active. My business is, ah, you know… creatures of the night…"

Jill unclasps her hands and rests her chin in one palm thoughtfully. "Maybe I need to find a better drug store 'cause 50 was the highest they had. Or order it online or somethin'. From like a specialty store for albinos." Idly, she flips through the laminated and well-worn menu. "Y'know I'm constantly surprised by all this real magic stuff, and how much you know about it. And I'd love to visit. Oh, except I'd have to call ahead so you'd know to let me in. I'd hate to just sit there on the porch for hours 'cause I haven't been to your place before." She nods appreciatively. "That is a real thing, by the way. Invitation only."

"Yes, I know it is… I do not even enter homes unless I am invited. And my home is warded against uninvited intruders. I think any sorceress worth her salt would make sure that such a thing would happen," says Kalindi, nodding a few times at that. "So you would have double difficulty in entering… I guess it does not much surprise me, though, as it is the thing that I grew up in. I lived in an otherworld, where sorcery and demons and creatures born of magic and energy were commonplace. It was where I was raised. I was the unusual one, the fleshbeing."

"Yeah," the blonde girl chimes in, bobbing her head in a nod. "I kinda noticed that when I was tracking down information and stuff. Magic people are *really* paranoid." An awkward pause. "No offense. It's easier going through security at the airport than to get somebody to just open the door for you." She toys with the menu some more before getting up to order hot green tea and a turkey sandwich. Plopping back down in her seat, she picks up the conversation without missing a beat. "Pretty sure I've told you like a dozen times already, but before all this I didn't really *believe* in magic. Now I'm, like, right in the middle of it all."

"No, it is no offense. To be paranoid, it is to be safe. That is how it is where I grew up. Everyone wanted to kill you in order to take your strength or possessions, and so to mistrust is to survive. It is fortunate that my Father, not biological, though our souls are linked, and I are unable to tell lies… At least others can deal with us with relative ease," says Kalindi, nodding a few times, "Have you been doing well recently with all of this, though? I know that such changes are very surprising… sometimes traumatic."

Holding her cup of tea in both hands, Jill blows on it gently and inhales the steam with her eyes closed. The set of her shoulders loosens and a certain indefinable tension bleeds away. "Actually, doing much better now. It's a long story, like a REALLY long story, but I found a… a guy. Like a teacher. Sort of." Over the rim of her cup, she adds, "I guess that's what you'd call 'im. Anyway, I was really worried I was gonna end up hurting somebody close to me. There was a… certain… biting incident once. I tried to ignore it, 'cause it was just an accident, but… It's not that I didn't feel safe, right? It's that I didn't feel safe *to be around*."

"Ah, yes, I know this is something that some people fear. Once I had met a werewolf who made such a comment, it seems like it would be scary to think that you would bring harm to someone you love. If I thought that I would bring harm to Tabitha, even if it did not happen, I would feel guilt…" says Kalindi, pursing her lips and nodding a couple of times. "You have found a teacher? Who is it? Is it someone I might know?"

"Yeah, it was like that. Like, ninety-nine percent of the time, I was in control and fine. And the school was giving me blood so I didn't actually have to hurt anybody to get it. But it was just, like, an impulse sometimes." Setting aside her tea, Jill picks up her food and eyes it as if she's unsure why she ordered it in the first place. She gestures at Kalindi across the table with the pointed end of a half-sandwich. "It just kinda happened. I was askin' around, and one guy knew another guy who knew *another* guy, and then just… bam. There he was. Like, I dunno, sixty or seventy years old, white hair, dressed real slack. He was all cryptic martial arts master or something, 'cause he liked to hit me on the head with a wooden staff whenever I annoyed him. … Which was a lot." A pause. "I just called him Guy and he rolled with it."

Kalindi nods a few times slowly and then says, "Well, it is good that you have found yourself a proper master. I would like to have a teacher aside from just the books that I have acquired, whether by my 'antique shop' business or from taking Dracula's stuff."

Jill takes a bite of her sandwich and talks around the mouthful. "Well I figured he was a friend of yours, so he must've been okay. He knew your name and everything. Or else… yeah. Goin' on a camping trip with some skeezy old blind guy? Doesn't seem really smart in hindsight." She chews thoughtfully. "How's that going, by the way? You find anything cool or valuable? Well, a lot of it was really old and probably valuable anyway. But I mean, like, magical valuable."

"It's all magical valuable, that whole place is infused with magic, I have been using it as a base of sorts for the time being… there is a portal between my home and there now so that I can go back and forth…" says Kalindi, shrugging lightly, "It is… a lot of space! I go there with Tabitha sometimes, time to get away…"

Nodding appreciatively, Jill agrees. "It would make a pretty good vacation spot, I guess. Your very own magical, untraceable castle and all that. Just, like, not a whole lot of fond memories of it for me." The vampire girl carefully picks a thin tomato slice from the sandwich and eats it separately. "Ooh, how's Igor doing? Is he still there? He was… nice, actually. Ugly, but nice."

"Yes, he is still there, very helpful, and I think I treat him better than the old master… I am decently kind I think…" says Kalindi, considering that for a few moments and then shrugging, forking up some foodstuffs. "It is a good vacation spot, though, yes. And I know there are not good memories, that is why I am making some…"

The blonde vampire picks at her sandwich some more, dissecting it into its component parts and eating them one by one. "I'm glad to hear that. Really. It wasn't a great time, but I'm still happy I met you. You've been so helpful and…" Jill visibly fidgets, picking up her tea and blowing the thin tendrils of steam from the surface. "I, umm… okay." She splays the fingers of one hand, like 'hold on a second'. "I kind of… had an ulterior motive for asking you to come meet me. I mean, I would've been happy to just sit down and talk to you again, 'cause you're my friend. But… I need some help. Some people have gone missing, and you're like the most connected and smart person I know. You know *everything*."

Kalindi blinks a few times and then says, "I do not know everything. I have a specialized sort of knowledge… however… do you happen to have any possessions, and important items belonging to the people who have gone missing? Or even better, some manner of biological material? I may be able to set up some kind of scry for you… It is not something I am good at, but as you say, I have a number of connections…"

"You're a lot smarter than me about this sorta stuff," Jill insists eagerly, unwilling to let the compliment be deflected. "But, like, personal possessions and stuff, yeah, that's totally doable. I don't have anything with me right now. Maybe I could get some hair off a hairbrush or something." She pauses and licks her lips. "And if it helps, I know pretty much exactly who did it, too. The-" The vampire girl stops abruptly and casts a glance over to the woman behind the counter. Leaning in closer to Kalindi, she whispers, "That anti-mutant group, the Church of Humanity. They stole my boyfriend, and a bunch of other people from the school."

"Well we should be able to find out where they are if you can get that information for me, or at least point you in the right direction…" says Kalindi, before leaning in and saying, "That group has been causing many problems in this place for awhile… I do not much like it, and I would be happy to be a thorn in their sides."

Tapping her finger on the tabletop, Jill nods seriously. "That's the idea. That's it exactly. Me and couple other people, we're kind of…" She inhales slowly, unsure of the phrasing. "We're kind of, I dunno, gonna try to stick it to them. A thorn in their side, like you said." Jill clasps her hands together in supplication. "Anything you can do, I would be… so grateful. I know I already owe you a ton, but, like, any help you could offer. These people… They're dangerous people. Really bad, really well connected. So I can't, I *won't* ask you to get involved directly, but…" Jill swallows hard, grimacing. "Kali, I really need your help."

Kalindi tilts her head slightly and then says, "I will get involved, whether directly or indirectly. Understand, that I am involved with a woman who is an obvious mutant. If I can send a message that tells people not to interfere with myself or mine, well… that will be ultimately to my benefit. For now, you are a friend, and I am sure that if I ever need help, you will return the favour… I will gladly help as much as I can."

Sniff. Jill rubs her eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie. "Thanks. That… really means a lot." The blonde is silent for a few as she corrals her emotions. She makes a few attempt to speak prematurely but merely waves a hand instead. At last Jill clears her throat. "Okay. I'll get everything together as soon as I can. Just… really. Thank you." In control again, she reassembles what is left of her turkey sandwich. "I've… I've got a couple of hours until I need to be somewhere. D'you wanna… just hang out for a while?"

Kalindi frowns for a few moments as Jill begins to cry, and says, "I think that things will be okay… these people do not know the kinds of resources that can be mounted against them." She takes another scoop of her spicy Thai dish, peering down at it, "Ah, yes, I think doing some hanging out, that is something I would like to do, yes." She offers a smile.

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