Two Mages Meet in the Park

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Brief Title:
TMMP

Characters:
Spiral and Topaz

Scene Runner/Watcher:

IC Date:
04/25/2013

Location:
Hudson River Park

Summary:
Spiral and Topaz have a brief encounter

Social or Plot:

TS:
No

Log:
--[Hudson River Park - Manhattan]--

Finally, after weeks of cold, dreary weather, it seems that spring has finally come to the city, hopefully in a permanent fashion. The warmth brought on by a cloudless sun filled sky has people out and about. Hudson River Park isn't the most popular park in the city so it isn't as crowded as Central or Battery Parks would be. This makes it a favorite spot for those wanting to enjoy the outdoors and still get some peace and quiet.

One of these people is the young Indian woman, Topaz. She sits at a picnic table, enjoying a simple lunch and a book. Her brightly colored skirt suggests she has never meet a color she didn't like. At nearby tables are various of groups of people, mostly business folks on lunch breaks and a few nannies with young children.

Spiral is having a break at the moment from Thunderbolting or being a time/space nuisance. And what better way to have a break than walk in the park.

However, six armed supervillains are not generally welcome at a picnic ground, and even if she found some particularly amiable people, Spiral would assume she was not. Indeed, looking at all the normal folks and feeling bitter is probably why she's here, at least on some level.

And so Spiral is invisible, wandering through the park cloaked with her alien magic, looking at the various park goers with a look of mingled loathing and envy. Assuming that none can see her, though those with magical sight could, perhaps.

Topaz flips the page in her book as she takes a sip of her drink. Those around her don't register to her magical senses and there is nothing unusual in anyone near that would trigger her empathic senses either. Just the usual disgruntled office desk jockey or frustrated nanny, nothing new there. the feeling is faint at first, both the magic, one she is unfamiliar with and the loathing, but gets steadly stronger. Her attention leaves the book, though it doesn't lower and she begins to look around for the source.

Spiral for her part is blissfully ignorant of being detected in her me-time. So she continues to wander mostly aimlessly through the park, her blank eyes focused on a fairly ordinary family, sitting on the grass and eating, while their toddler roams nearby. The loathing wells up within her again, unbidden, at the two armed folks enjoying a day in the springtime. She wraps two arms about herself, staring sullenly, and on the spur of the moment sticks out an invisible foot so the toddler, who was enthusiastically running by, goes sprawling onto the grass.

There is some crying and hugging but toddlers are robust and he's soon recovered. Just another innocuous scrape in the busy life of a three year old. Spiral meanwhile is already wandering away at a brisk pace, embarassed at herself. That was petty even by her standards. All her fists clench, and she shakes her head, her anger and loathing subsiding a little by force of will.

Despite not being able to see the source of the strange magic, Topaz can feel it stop and see the child fall right near that spot. She quickly decides that it can't be a coincidence. Strange magic, loathing followed by embarrasment, not a good combination. Tucking the book in her bag, she waves a hand and what little remains of her lunch disappears. Narrowing her mystical senses she feels the person, to her it has to be a person, heading away so begins to follow, and not covertly.

Spiral mrrs to herself, lost in her own mostly negative thoughts. Maybe coming to places like this are a bad idea, she decides. Bringing out the worst in her, and she really isn't in the mood for that... perhaps it's time to return to the wildways for a year or two, for some peaceful plotting.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She half turns to see Topaz following her, and frowns a little. A coincidence perhaps? She experiments, walking away some more, but in a different direction.

The woman looks momentarily confused by the change of direction, mostly because there doesn't seem to be a logical reason to it, at least not from her point of view. Topaz stops walking for a moment, her gaze follows the change of direction and she takes a few steps in the new direction. She can sense the questioning of the person, but misinterprets it, "No, I can't see you, but I know someone is there.

Spiral suddenly realises that she really is being followed when Topaz changes course. Paranoia and a hint of embarassment flare as she puts two arms on her hips. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" she hisses, half expecting trouble to have found her for a change. Past experience suggests that quite a few X-Men hold grudges over past trivialities after all.

Topaz puts a hand up, the universal gesture that means calm down or something of the sort "I'm Topaz. I'm curious." she projects her honest intentions, something that makes it hard for to lie, even if she wanted to, "You seem upset and my apologies, I didn't mean to embarass." she gives a bowing type nod of her head.

"Alright." Spiral says guardedly. Curiosity she can understand at least. "How can you see me? You are a sorceress of some sort?" she wonders, curious herself about that, and apparently relenting enough for conversation. "I am only briefly visiting this place. Dancing through.". She tilts her head with a slight smile now, wondering, her thoughts shifting to potential business.

"Yes, sorceress is as good as any other name. That is how I can sense you, through your magic." she refrains from mentioning she can sense emotions as well "Not exactly seeing you, but the magic you are giving off." she understands the implication of Spiral's final words "You are not from here? You are a dimensional refugee, like the others?" meaning the alternate versions of people that have been common lately.

"The others?" Spiral asks, puzzled. Though Topaz has hit on truth, perhaps not the truth she was thinking about, as she really is a dimensional refugee in her own right. "I... have danced across time and space to get here, that is true. And I have been dancing elsewhere recently.". Earth is something best dealt with in small doses, after all, Spiral has been holed up in her Body Shoppe for a few months. "And ah, you do not see me. That explains a lot.".

She waggles her arms, sure that if Topaz could see /those/ she'd be considerably less friendly to her. "You think I am like you.".

Topaz's brow furrow, her look perplexed "You are from somewhere else, just not in the same manner that the other dimensional jumpers are." she paraphrases to make sure she understands correctly. There is no indication from the petite woman that she can see the movement "I said as much, didn't I." she will then shake her head "No, I can feel that we are not alike. But I am quite different than a lot of people...as are you.

"In a sense..." Spiral replies. "I do not know anything about other dimensional jumpers, though I am hardly the only dancer through the multiverse on this Earth. And apparently you are, at least, in a subtle sense. I am not even subtle." she observes, almost revelling in her own perceived misfortune.

Just to prove a point she lets the invisibility spell fall away, revealing herself in her six armed glory. She adjusts the rim of her samurai helmet with one of those arms, and eyes picnickers in the distance. Not that anybody has noticed her appearance yet.

There is more recognition in Topaz's expression than surprise or shock (though there is that), and not a bit of disgust. She has certainly seen worse, has been worse "I have seen you before. You knew.." pauses a moment about to say one name but changes it for another "Sandman. You were there that day I ran into him in Central Park.

"Sandman, I know him, yes." Spiral tells Topaz, and shakes her head a little. "I remember that. He was such a busy sandman, helping all those two armed folks. I remember... someone else.". Her eyes narrow a little, as she thinks. "But all lost in the flood of time to me now." she eventually says with a shrug, having forgotten.

She then smiles a knowing smile at Topaz. Whether disgusted or not, Spiral sees it everywhere, and eyes wide in shock and surprise look like disgust to her. "Yes, there is very little about me which is as it should be." she notes, with a sage nod.

"He is not so much anymore." Topaz states, moving the subject away from the one they both knew. "Well in that way you are much like anyone else." her gaze moves to take in the various people that are enjoying the park "Very few people are satisfied with who are what they are." she takes a few steps closer to Spiral her gaze moving across the park goers in the distance "Point to anyone in the park and I can tell you what they wish they could change.

Spiral arches a silvery grey eyebrow, and one arm points to someone more or less at random in the park. "What about... him?" she wonders, indicating a young woman apparently going out for a quiet walk. "But I'm not sure what you prove even if your accuracy turns out to be impressive.", two of her arms going to her hips, while one more points an accusing finger at Topaz.

Topa'z gaze follows the pointing figure and falls on the person walking alone "You make a valid point. I could just tell you anything about that person and there would be no way of you know its true or not." she gestures in the direction of the person "It's doubtful they would admit it. So few people are willing to talk of such things with total strangers." a glance is given to the finger pointing at her "I can tell it doesn't matter to you that other people share your misgivings, which makes you even more the same really. One of many things that are the same across time, space and other dimensions.

Spiral looks incredulous. "Now I am insulted. You compare me to them? They all have the proper number of arms! What can they regret? Their broken nails?" she hisses, and her arms wave in a frenzy for a moment, fists clenching all over the place. "And they cannot see the chaos, in their ignorant bliss." she adds, voice a little lower.

Then she pauses. "Wait. You seem to know more about me then I do you." she notes, wondering why Topaz seems to want to talk about misgivings and inner demons and the like.

"It's better than having no arms at all, isn't it?" Topaz states bluntly, trying to watch all the arms move around but finds it hard to focus on all of them at once. "Of course they can't and it's better that way. If they could see the chaos, the things that I have seen and proably you have seen, it would drive them into sanity." the implication is there, that everyone else is different and they are the normal ones. "Forgive." she gives another on of those head bows "Speaking freely, like curiousty, is something of a..flaw, perhaps?

Better than no arms at all. Well, maybe. But Spiral isn't going to let them off of that. "Arms can be added, arms can be taken away...". She shakes her metal arm as proof of that. "But I have been made for six. Drive them into sanity?". Spiral laughs at that, genuinely amused; that might even be something she would say herself. "You do understand, then." she finishes, suddenly sober and serious. "Speaking freely, of course. Why hold back?".

A smile comes to Topaz's face, seemingly glad that she could get the woman to laugh, "One of the gods my people worship has multiple arms, sometimes 4, others 6. Go visit India, you would be worshipped as a god made flesh." she digs into her colorful bag, pulling out a Voodoo Lounge business card and hands it over "You are a curious and interesting person. Please stop by anytime. You would be most welcome. I must go now, but it was delightful meeting you." she will take a few steps back, with a sharp motion upward of her hands and a phrase in a long dead language she disappears with a spark and puff of smoke.

Spiral hmms at that, and wrinkles her brow in thought. "Mmm, may be..." she ponders. Being worshipped as a god made flesh could be kinda fun, she thinks! One hand snakes out to take the offered card. "Voodoo Lounge. Hmm, very well... oh.". And with that Topaz has vanished in a puff of magic.

"Curiouser and curiouser." Spiral says softly. Perhaps she should meet up with the Earthly mages a little more frequently. With that, she teleports away herself.

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