[Facilier spots Esmeralda from a distance, and a smile quirks his lips. He steps back into a shadowy nook behind a stone staircase, and almost at once he is at Esmeralda's side as though he'd been just behind her only a second before.]
Oh! Es. [He sounds surprised, and presses a hand to his chest in emphasis.] Didn't see ya there.
[ Truly, she hadn't seen a thing, she was too deep in thought. She turned, startled, but smiled, knowing who it was. Ezzie thought Facilier took her more by surprise than she took him, though, didn't press the matter at all. ]
Didn't...see you either, Doctor. Can't go sneaking up on people like that.
[ She kept her smile, now only about half as strained as it was. ]
[Facilier falls into step with her, though he has to shorten his strides a bit to keep her from having to hurry along.]
Oh, you know. Gettin' the lay of the land. [Because he didn't have the lay of the land after his second day on campus or anything. Not very convincing.] What about yourself? [He looks more serious.] Really shouldn't be out on your own, you know.
[ And she's almost sure, considering she can't imagine the magic of his kind reaching as far as, well. Paris. But something did itch at the back of her mind. ]
Was that offer you made...still open? For jazz music, that is.
For jazz... oh! [It takes a split-second for him to remember, but then he smiles brightly.] Of course, if you've got the time. Can't always predict how long you'll be dancin' once you get goin'. [He holds out an arm.] Shall we?
[Impressed? Aw, you'll hurt his feelings. Facilier is nothing if not a gentleman. ...Sort of.]
[His office is in the administrative building just across the quad, and when he pushes the door open his office is as crammed with knickknacks and trinkets as ever, dozens of candles flickering in nearly every available space not already packed with things that could land anywhere between crucial potion ingredients and complete junk. There's no telling, given Facilier's particular brand of organization.]
Come on in. [He beckons, holding the door open for her.]
[Facilier laughs.] It's atmosphere. You should know all about that, right? 'S important that my clients know I can cater to their every whim, and several whims they haven't even thought up yet. Careful what you touch though, break anything and it could mean my life. [He speaks easily, but something in his tone makes it clear that he's completely serious.]
[He moves across the room to a chest on the other end, digging around in several different boxes.] Now it's in here somewhere... haven't had much time to unpack, truth be told.
[But Facilier's already hefting out a huge, dusty phonograph the size of a small cabinet, and it looks much too large to have reasonably fit in the box he took it from. This doesn't appear to faze him though, and he sets it down to the side of a bookshelf, pausing to stretch his back with a groan.]
There we go. Naw, don' worry about it, no need. [Then, nodding at his shadow--] And if you would... [It darts off and disappears among the other shadows cluttering the room, and more boxes can be heard rustling a moment later. Facilier turns back to Esmeralda with a faint curl of his lips.] He'll find what we need, not to worry.
[ Ezzie's attention was on the phonograph at first, it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. She wanted to know how it worked. But, her eyes went wide at the shadow actually...moving, and Facilier, not so much. ]
How do you...do that?
[ She's genuinely interested, but something gnaws at the back of her mind; she hopes that she doesn't run into this shadow anytime by herself. ]
Oh, you haven't met 'im yet? [He speaks like it's the most common thing in the world, and at that moment his shadow emerges clutching something in its hands. A record floats across the room and Facilier pulls it from air, pausing to give his shadow a high five in thanks.] Jus' a little voodoo magic, not much to brag about. Shadowplay's pretty simple once you get the hang of it. [Behind him, the shadow shrugs playfully.] We hafta share a light source though, or else he disappears, so when he's active he sticks close. Can't really send him on errands or anything.
Oh! Es. [He sounds surprised, and presses a hand to his chest in emphasis.] Didn't see ya there.
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Didn't...see you either, Doctor. Can't go sneaking up on people like that.
[ She kept her smile, now only about half as strained as it was. ]
Just, out for a walk?
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Oh, you know. Gettin' the lay of the land. [Because he didn't have the lay of the land after his second day on campus or anything. Not very convincing.] What about yourself? [He looks more serious.] Really shouldn't be out on your own, you know.
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Right..
[ Convincing enough for her. ]
Just strolling, I guess. Getting my mind off of some things is all.
[ She states this nonchalantly, hoping to give off the impression that whatever she's thinking about isn't bothering her all that much. ]
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[ And she's almost sure, considering she can't imagine the magic of his kind reaching as far as, well. Paris. But something did itch at the back of her mind. ]
Was that offer you made...still open? For jazz music, that is.
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I'd say not knowing how long I'll take is a pretty good prediction in itself.
[ slightly impressed at his being a gentleman, she'll take his arm. ]
Of course~
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[His office is in the administrative building just across the quad, and when he pushes the door open his office is as crammed with knickknacks and trinkets as ever, dozens of candles flickering in nearly every available space not already packed with things that could land anywhere between crucial potion ingredients and complete junk. There's no telling, given Facilier's particular brand of organization.]
Come on in. [He beckons, holding the door open for her.]
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Quite a welcoming office you have.
[ Let her look around a bit, and observe a few things. ]
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[He moves across the room to a chest on the other end, digging around in several different boxes.] Now it's in here somewhere... haven't had much time to unpack, truth be told.
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[ She's repeating the word in slight disbelief, though, she has to admit, the candles are nice. ]
Do you need any help?
[ Naturally curious, she's peering into a box, then another box. ]
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There we go. Naw, don' worry about it, no need. [Then, nodding at his shadow--] And if you would... [It darts off and disappears among the other shadows cluttering the room, and more boxes can be heard rustling a moment later. Facilier turns back to Esmeralda with a faint curl of his lips.] He'll find what we need, not to worry.
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How do you...do that?
[ She's genuinely interested, but something gnaws at the back of her mind; she hopes that she doesn't run into this shadow anytime by herself. ]
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Shadowplay? A very appropriate name.
[ Esme chuckles at the shadow. Seems friendly enough. ]
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