07-05-2016, 10:28 AM
Raised in Moscow, with some of the harshest winters in Europe, Jaxen never needed the excuse of nice weather to loiter outdoors. As the weather was ever turning more pleasant, he found himself doing just that, however. Given that this last winter saw him shackled underground in a human meat locker or that he'd teleported off the planet for three months and landed stark naked in knee deep snow, that might have something to do with it.
As such he was currently lounging at a table of a cafe that had sprawled outside and onto the sidewalks of the Enlightenment district. He wasn't alone. The tables were full and packed shoulder to shoulder so that waiters barely had room to navigate between them.
He flicked through screens on his wallet, set to privacy mode of course so they projected in the air in front of him but filtered through dark sunglasses cresting his face for his eyes only. The Internet was blowing up after the announcement. Magic was real - well Jaxen could have told the world that. But like that American Nicholas Trano, he would have been branded as a nut job and likely incarcerated in the Guardian. There weren't many worse fates than that. He shuddered just to think of it
bonds tightened. Slick oily bonds. Warm, thick liquid dripping onto his chest. It came to this but he wouldn't ask their forgiveness. Do anything to him. But never that.
He rubbed his wrists and shook off the pungent sense of horror lining his throat. Maybe the winter had affected him more than he thought.
He switched screens back to the layout of Baccarat Mansion. Remodeling permits had been easy to source from CCD pages. Extensive work was undertaken about two years ago. He studied them closely but there was nothing extraordinary. Even fortification of the basement walls was to be expected in such an ancient part of the city. Except he knew there was something priceless in that basement. He'd seen the security with his own eyes. Atharim be damned. White warned him of their presence. Sora warned him. Rune wanted to kill him. Elias, Sierra and Elyse were threats. Something was hidden in the Moscow River.
He swore under his breath. There had to be more answers than what he had. But fuck if he even knew what the question was. Now their great leader, president turned liege lord Ascendancy was another Ancient.
Everyone was talking about it. Jaxen fixed the man next to him with a cold stare, "Come on. Are you really surprised? Look at the guy! He has to be something more than he claimed. Born in America. Lived in Italy. President of Russia. And combined half the world in a matter of years. And people are surprised?"
He snapped his Wallet closed and stood up. He had enough excited experience to whip the power on a whim. It came easily now, and a sly grin accompanied tendrils of power snaking toward the table. The empty dishes floated high in the air and the chatting around him ceased. A dozen faces watched them float over head and gently lay themselves down before the bus boy. As soon as the movement ceased, chairs skittered and the shoving and yelling took its place.
But Jaxen was long gone by then, laughing to himself. He released the Power back to its Source soon after.
Happily strolling around the corner, amused with himself, he caught sight of the back of someone's head that seemed familiar. Dark hair. Small statured woman. But where did he know her from? Random club? She didn't seem his type, but Jaxen ran into women later on he barely remembered spending the night with. Stranger things happened.
She walked with an old man. Or at least with an old man wrapped up in tendrils of light. Like he was draped in a spider web. Beautiful work. Jaxen itched to pluck it away and see who was beneath.
Instead, he hung back and followed them.
Edited by Jaxen Marveet, Jul 5 2016, 10:31 AM.
As such he was currently lounging at a table of a cafe that had sprawled outside and onto the sidewalks of the Enlightenment district. He wasn't alone. The tables were full and packed shoulder to shoulder so that waiters barely had room to navigate between them.
He flicked through screens on his wallet, set to privacy mode of course so they projected in the air in front of him but filtered through dark sunglasses cresting his face for his eyes only. The Internet was blowing up after the announcement. Magic was real - well Jaxen could have told the world that. But like that American Nicholas Trano, he would have been branded as a nut job and likely incarcerated in the Guardian. There weren't many worse fates than that. He shuddered just to think of it
bonds tightened. Slick oily bonds. Warm, thick liquid dripping onto his chest. It came to this but he wouldn't ask their forgiveness. Do anything to him. But never that.
He rubbed his wrists and shook off the pungent sense of horror lining his throat. Maybe the winter had affected him more than he thought.
He switched screens back to the layout of Baccarat Mansion. Remodeling permits had been easy to source from CCD pages. Extensive work was undertaken about two years ago. He studied them closely but there was nothing extraordinary. Even fortification of the basement walls was to be expected in such an ancient part of the city. Except he knew there was something priceless in that basement. He'd seen the security with his own eyes. Atharim be damned. White warned him of their presence. Sora warned him. Rune wanted to kill him. Elias, Sierra and Elyse were threats. Something was hidden in the Moscow River.
He swore under his breath. There had to be more answers than what he had. But fuck if he even knew what the question was. Now their great leader, president turned liege lord Ascendancy was another Ancient.
Everyone was talking about it. Jaxen fixed the man next to him with a cold stare, "Come on. Are you really surprised? Look at the guy! He has to be something more than he claimed. Born in America. Lived in Italy. President of Russia. And combined half the world in a matter of years. And people are surprised?"
He snapped his Wallet closed and stood up. He had enough excited experience to whip the power on a whim. It came easily now, and a sly grin accompanied tendrils of power snaking toward the table. The empty dishes floated high in the air and the chatting around him ceased. A dozen faces watched them float over head and gently lay themselves down before the bus boy. As soon as the movement ceased, chairs skittered and the shoving and yelling took its place.
But Jaxen was long gone by then, laughing to himself. He released the Power back to its Source soon after.
Happily strolling around the corner, amused with himself, he caught sight of the back of someone's head that seemed familiar. Dark hair. Small statured woman. But where did he know her from? Random club? She didn't seem his type, but Jaxen ran into women later on he barely remembered spending the night with. Stranger things happened.
She walked with an old man. Or at least with an old man wrapped up in tendrils of light. Like he was draped in a spider web. Beautiful work. Jaxen itched to pluck it away and see who was beneath.
Instead, he hung back and followed them.
Edited by Jaxen Marveet, Jul 5 2016, 10:31 AM.