Orphine Orphine ignored the Bartender, even though his steely voice gave her chills. To Jaz she said, "I do not fling threats like a common person." Oddly enough, she soudned completely calm suddenly and the fire in her hair and hands sizzled out. The glow inside her body also dimmed. "You have made the grave mistake of making me your enemy, vampire. If you ever speak to me foully again, I will have no choice but to destroy you. That I promise." The Witch snapped her fingers and Jaz's chair dissolved into sparkly dust, leaving her nothing to perch on. Finally Orphine faced the Bartender and said, "You aren't human, are you? Well, I hope you really can keep this bar safe, because if the Gods do find me they won't stop to listen to a bartender's rules." The Witch looked the Bartender up and down, trying to get a measure of how dangerous he was. All she could sense was that he was not what he seemed and it would be foolish to cross him. The Witch thought she could probably take him, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. So she whirled around, causing a mini-whirlwind, glided away. Orphine flicked her fingers at the jukebox and the thumping techno music came to a halt, to be replaced by electronic disco pop. Not knowing where else to go, Orphine found her way to Mary's table and sat down. "Can you believe that vamp?", Orphine said, examining her jeweled nails. "Never in my life have I been disrespected in such a way! Everyone here seems to be int he foulest of tempers--well,t he next person to make a smart comment will perish on the spot, believe me..." The wind rustled around Orphine's head and she heard, Be good now, you promised. Don't attack unless provoked. "I don't intend to", Orphine snapped. Then she smiled at Mary and said, "Sorry, just talking to the Elements." Then Orphine felt warmth and a voice said, Next time I'll burn her to ashes for you, Mistress... Orphine didn't respond, but she didn't argue either.
Lark: Dark Butterfly Lark turned away from the very spooked Dexter, her attention riveted on a dark butterfly flitting about her head. In the shadows it appeared almost black, but when it fluttered beneath the bar lights, it shimmered and glowed. Countless jewel tones and breathtaking glory, there for all to see if one took the time to look. A look of childish wonder spread across her delicate features as she reached out to the quivering creature, much as she had with Dexter. But unlike most, her own mother included, the butterfly didn't reel back as if stung. It settled lightly on her slender fingers. Gently she brought the small creature close to her face and whispered. "Those with the brightest, truest colors are often found in the darkest places. Or so says the tale of the Night Flower and the Dark Butterfly." Lifting her hand higher, she turned the creature free once more. "Fly, my friend. Tell your story to the stars."
Orphine As Orphine sulked and chatted up Mary, she heard Lark babbling with a butterfly about telling stories to the stars. What...the...heck?, the Witch thought. "Hey, what are you drinking?", Orphine called over to Lark. "Whatever she's having, I think I'd like a shot. It must be pretty strong..." She looked up at the butterfly as it turned to dust. "Ew...", she muttered.
Pickles looked at Orphine. "I believe she is drinking tea Miss Orphine was it?" He asked her name sincerely. Pickles always used Miss and Mister to refer to people he met or heck even friends. Dexter's face was amused as Lark started speaking to the butterfly. He decided to comment on it. "What did he say?" He asked Lark
Orphine Orphine turned to face Pickles. "You may call me that name, but don't call me 'Miss'", she said flatly. "Mistress, or my Queen, will suffice. Except...I guess i'm not a queen anymore, am I?" Orphine turned back to Mary to continue sulking.
Lark: Tongues "What did he say?" He asked Lark. Lark's smile was slightly wry. "He is speaking in what you would consider tongues, sir. A language known as Chivalry. Apparently, the Evil Queen thinks my tea is possessed of delirium inducing ingredients because I talk to insects. I don't find that any more odd than having the voices of the elements whispering in one's head."
Dexter laughed at Orphine. "Someone has a very high opinion of herself. What were you Queen of? Perhaps the Queen of the One night stands!' He shouted with laughter. He then looked at Lark. "I wouldn't put talking to butterflies as anymore strange then using magic or being a time traveler." He stated. "By the way what's your name?" He asked Lark curiously. Pickles frowned at Dexter's comment. "Sorry he tends to be rude Mistress Orphine. I ask that you try and cheer up. I hate seeing people sad." He said brightly. Pickles hated when people were down. Once he mad Orphine smile, he would try and make the vampire girl smile to.
Mary "Can you believe that vamp?", Orphine said, examining her jeweled nails. "Never in my life have I been disrespected in such a way! Everyone here seems to be int he foulest of tempers--well,t he next person to make a smart comment will perish on the spot, believe me..." Before Mary could reply Orphine continued. "I don't intend to", Orphine snapped. Then she smiled at Mary and said, "Sorry, just talking to the Elements." "Ok." Mary said, feeling extremly awkward sitting next to a witch that wanted to kill something and talked to...the elements. Mary had a thought and began doodling a picture of a flower. "You know Orphine, she probably feels the same as you. Everyone automaticly judges Jaz just cause she's a vampire, as many people probably automatically judge you just because you're a witch." Mary breathed softly on the doodled flower and picked it up off the page. "Both of you are like this flower." As she twirled it, the part in the light sparkled and shone a beautiful hue of red. The part of the flower in the dark, looked dead and black and as if all it's petals were about to fall off. "It's all a matter of perspective. Maybe Jaz isn't as bad as you think." She twirled the rose again. "You just need to take the time to see her in a different light." Mary smiled and handed the rose to Orphine hoping what she had said, helped.
Orphine Orphine gave Lark a look. "How do you know I can speak to the Elements? Please refrain from eavesdropping on my conversations. It's rude." Orphine fluffed her curly hair and added, "And child, you look nothing like a true sorceress, so how was I to know you could commune with butterflies? Besides, that butterfly didn't exactly reach the stars before he self-combusted now did he?" Orphine smirked, she wa shaving fun. Then Dexter poked fun at her, and Pickles tried to soothe her. "I don't need a hero, whoever you are", Orphine said to Pickles in a dry tone. "I can handle myself, thanks." To Dexter, she said, "I have a really short temper right now. Do you really want to test me...?" Orphine lazily conjured a curvy silver dagger that glinted evilly. "You just need to take the time to see her in a different light." Mary smiled and handed the rose to Orphine hoping what she had said, helped. "You are right I shouldn't have judged her", Orphine said with a shrug. "But seriously, she must get that all the time, you'd think she'd learn patience. My experiences with vampires have not been ideal, so she can't really blame me, can she?"
Pickles frowned. "Oh um my name is Pickles and I apologize for trying to help. I hope you feel better, I'll be back to see how your doing when you cool down." He stated kindly as he patted Orphine on the shoulder. Pickles then looked over to Mary and Jaz. "Evening." He stated to the both of them.
Lark and the Piano Man Quickly disposing of her cupcake and tea, Lark slid a gold sovereign across the bar to its tender and climbed down from her stool. Ares rose, as well, with no hint of the ham hock in evidence. His head was now higher than the top of Lark's. Slowly, she worked her way across the room to something that had caught her attention. There in a far corner, looking lonesome and forgotten, was a piano unlike any she had seen before. All gleaming, if slightly dusty, wood and ivory keys. Her fingers ached to play. Half afraid of bringing the wrath of the Bartender down on her head, she gave into temptation and settled on the bench. She ran her fingers over the keys with a sigh of pleasure and ran through a quick scale. The instrument was in perfect tune. She grinned. This was one place where she was in the heart of her element. A yellowed piece of sheet music stood open before her. The Piano Man. Not a piece she was familiar with, but she was game to try. Her nimble fingers flew over the opening bars... Orphine gave Lark a look. "How do you know I can speak to the Elements? Please refrain from eavesdropping on my conversations. It's rude." Orphine fluffed her curly hair and added, "And child, you look nothing like a true sorceress, so how was I to know you could commune with butterflies? Besides, that butterfly didn't exactly reach the stars before he self-combusted now did he?" Orphine smirked. Her fingers continued to fly across the keys, throwing out the rich, catchy song. "How I know about the Elements is my business. As to my looks, those I cannot help. And the butterfly, well...We will see about the butterfly. As to rude behavior, you would know all about that now, wouldn't you?"
As Lark began playing The piano, Dexter of all people started to sing. It wasn't a bad voice not professional but he wasn't bad it sounded like he was telling a story. The words he sung matched what Lark was playing. Dexter knew the words by heart. He knew a lot of things by heart. The words he sung were. t's nine o'clock on a Saturday The Regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sitting next to me Makin' love to his tonic and gin He says, "Son, can you play me a memory I'm not really sure how it goes But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete When I wore a younger man's clothes." La la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum Chorus: Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright Now John at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke But there's someplace that he'd rather be He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me." As the smile ran away from his face "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place" Oh, la la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessmen slowly get stoned Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness But it's better than drinkin' alone Chorus Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you got us feeling alright Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy And probably will be for life It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see To forget about life for a while And the piano, it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?" Oh, la la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum Chorus: Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you got us feeling alright
Mary "But seriously, she must get that all the time, you'd think she'd learn patience. My experiences with vampires have not been ideal, so she can't really blame me, can she?" Mary's reply was interrupted by someone starting to play the piano and Dexter singing. She smiled brightly. She loved the sound of the piano. For years she wanted to learn how to play but had never gotten the chance. Music did so much to affect one's mood. An upbeat song could bring a smile, and a melancoly one could make you cry. The power of music was not to be underestimated.
Mary "But seriously, she must get that all the time, you'd think she'd learn patience. My experiences with vampires have not been ideal, so she can't really blame me, can she?" Mary's reply was interrupted by someone starting to play the piano and Dexter singing. She smiled brightly. She loved the sound of the piano. For years she wanted to learn how to play but had never gotten the chance. Music did so much to affect one's mood. An upbeat song could bring a smile, and a melancoly one could make you cry. The power of music was not to be underestimated.
Orphine "How I know about the Elements is my business. As to my looks, those I cannot help. And the butterfly, well...We will see about the butterfly. As to rude behavior, you would know all about that now, wouldn't you?" "I didn't ask how you know about the Elements, I asked why you were eavesdropping on my conversation, thats the only way you could have known I was speaking with them", Orphine said, smiling broadly. She chuckled behind her hand. "And please, don't pretend to know me. I am a shadow on the moon, a frightful dream, a glimmer in the tail of a shooting star. I am every bad witch in every bedtime story ever told. I might have even been a villian in your Realm, too, but you just don't recognise my new guise. But nevermind that, I'm going to let you be with your, eh, music if you can call it that..." Orphine chuckled again and shook her head. She actually liked the child's piano playing, but she would never admit it aloud.
Lark: Melody Lark's sweet, silvery soprano soared out on the second chorus, her fingers continued their dance. Chorus: Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you got us feeling alright A beautific smile illuminated her face as she gave herself over to her gift and the song. Ares swayed slightly, keeping time to the rise and fall of the music. She resembled some wild gypsy waif, with her hair tumbled own her back and emotions there for all to see. Richer and deeper, the piano sang.
Pickles kept listening to the song. He was bobbing his head back and forth. "My this Piano Man but be a powerful songs man in his world." Pickles Dexter continued applying his voice to Lark's playing. She wasn't so bad. Dexter always liked people who liked good music.
Lark: Grimm The song rallied and swelled to a heady conclusion. It would have taken much to wipe the grin from Lark's face after that performance. Ignoring the jibes from the Evil Queen, she let her fingers play idly over the keys, picking out a soft, almost dreamlike melody. From the safety of the instrument she watched those around her, noticing a visible lightening of the atmosphere. There was great power to be found with the notes of a song, the threads of a refrain. It was the one language understood by almost every creature, both living and those, like the vampire and the ghosts in her head, dead. Ares settled at her feet, warming her icy toes. Picking out the notes of her lullaby with one hand, Lark freed the frogs on her cloak, allowing the garment to slide to the floor. As it did so, she gained access to her heavy rucsac. It was the work of a moment to locate the item she sought. A first edition of Grimms' Faerie Tales in its original German. A treasure gift from her godfather. Carefully she laid it on the bench beside her and resumed her playing, keeping her piece soft, so as not to overpower surrounding conversations.
Dexter didn't know this song so he just leaned back and listened to the music. Dexter suddenly tensed and started sweating. He felt something very.........bad coming the way of the bar. Pickles looked at Dexter with concern what in the world happened. Dexter looked a like he was having a heart attack. Pickles was abut to ask if he needed help. But then something happened that made everything in the bar pause. The Bartender's head shot and his eyes looked very wide. It was a mixture of fear and disdain in his primal eyes. Pickles backed away from the door. He was licking his lips in anticipated fear. Suddenly the door opened and a man walked in. He was a little taller then the average person and he was in very black formal wear. His hair was blonde it was nearly white and he was wearing looked like very expensive sun glasses. The vibe this man was giving off wasn't a nice one, it was simply terrifying. His foot steps made no sound as he walked to his seat. The man calmly sat down and looked around the room. "Interesting a rather full house." He then looked at Mary. "And one from the other side of the wall." He stated. His voice sounded far to calm to be human. "You all may proceed with your activites."
Mary "Interesting a rather full house." He then looked at Mary. "And one from the other side of the wall." Mary had never been so terrified. Her throat closed up. She wouldn't have been able to speak even if she wanted to. All she could do was sit and wait. Dexter looked like he was about to have a heart attack. If Dexter was scared then this was definetly not good. "You may all proceed with your activities." He said finally. That was it? Why was she even terrified of him? How did he know that she was from the other side? Mary wasn't sure if she should sigh in relief or remain frozen. She glanced at the others waiting to see what they would do. ----------------------------- Tina An unbidden shiver ran down Tina's spine even before the mysterious man in shades walked into the bar. She turned in her seat to see him calmly take a seat and speak about someone from the other side of the wall, whatever that was. His presence made her angry and yet fearful at the same time. Who was this man, that made everyone terrified? Her hand crept to the energy gun on her belt, just in case.
The man's hidden eyes drifted to Tina. "I would suggest not attempting to attack me or think about it. I'm not here to be a bother anyone. I'm simply enjoying this fine bar. Oh by the way Miss Tina, how's Max been?" He asked with a faint smile. Dexter backed up as far as he could from the man's table and Pickles well Pickles looked very worried. But he was ready to spring into action if need be.
Tina Tina was immediatly put into high alert at the mention of her adopted brother's name. "Who the h*** are you?" She asked, her voice low and threatening. Mary Mary immeditaley sat up straighter, straining to see her creation on the other side of the bar. Tina? She's here!? Oh my gosh! Tina, don't do anything stupid...please. Gah, I should be on the other side writing her and getting her out of here! Is it even possible for him to kill her?
Billiam He eyed the newcomer. "And one from the other side of the wall." "Which wall are you referring to? 4, 5 or 6?" Billiam said unperturbed. Nothing really bothered him anymore. But even the bartender looked a little disturbed at this mans entrance, and the bartender didn't get disturbed. -------------------------- Alistair "I'm Tina by the way." "Alistiar." He shook her hand. "So, how did you get here? I walked into a broom closet and decided it wasn't a bad place for a drink?" But once the other man engaged her in conversation, he figured he wasn't going to get a response, so he ordered a refill. -------------------------- GM-2 "Game Masters, there's a problem with the simulation..." A peon said, walking into the game room nervously. "Isn't there always?" GM-1 Hissed. "It does seem that way brother." GM-2 replied. "Especially when I'm beating you." "It doesn't matter, shut it down and reboot the system!" GM-1 at the Peon, while GM-2 stood. "Brother, I'm going to find myself a drink while the system reboots." "Fine, but remember, this isn't over." GM-1 resonded. With that, GM-2 stood vanished. A moment later he appeared in a void and drifted slowly toward the only source of light: a buzzing neon light that said, "Marc's Bar and Grill". He reached it, opened the door, and entered the hub of the multiverse, his favorite place to go when there was a break in the game. He ignored the other people in the bar, and walked up to the bartender. "Get me the usual." Then he noticed his worried expression, glanced back at the man who was making everyone cower, snorted and sat down. "Pathetic."
Lark: From the Shadows Lark looked up from the piano, her song grew a little darker, more intricate as she studied the newcomer. Fear, like wave, followed the man into the room. Deftly she folded it down with the subtle reworking of her song. A neat Void weave, edged and contained within a slim layer of Echo. "You may all proceed with your activities." He said finally. Lark's mobile brow quirked again. Another high and mighty sort. She bit back a retort and let her song flow, seemingly unaffected by the disturbance. Other than the soft voice of the piano, silence hung heavy in the air.
