It was in a rather irritated mood that Maia wandered through Espoir, scrolling through the contacts on her Dreamberry. As she walked that she picked up a scent-- a very non-human, very Downworlder scent-- that caused her to stop walking in surprise, lowering her Dreamberry to pinpoint the source. It was not difficult: the young man sat on a wall not far from her, and she could detect signs of a glamour.
"...Faery," Maia said without thinking. As much as she didn't much like the Seelie, she'd always been a little fascinated. Unaware she was staring, Maia tilted her head, trying to see past the glamour he wore.
Niall smiled slightly, not looking up from his Dreamberry, not yet. The two could sense each other, savoring that initial contact and sense of curiosity, unease, uncertainty. He didn't know what she was, but she could obviously see through the facade, at least somewhat. Niall wasn't going to drop the glamor, not in the middle of the street like this. He would let her try and get deeper through it. If she wanted to.
Finally he glanced up at her. "Hello." Whatever she was, she was rather lovely.
[ooc: oh god my grammar is awful at late hours. :| apologies.]Maia started. She must have been more obvious than she thought, she realised, for she hadn't expected him to notice her. She turned a slight red at being caught staring and drew closer
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"It's warm," he commented, not really answering. Niall slipped the phone into his pocket and rested both hands on the low wall on either side of him, watching her curiously. The sun never bothered him much, not after hundreds of years being around the Summer King, with all his volatile, radiant mood swings. He supposed those days were over, one way or the other.
"I'm trying to remember how to get to the place in which I stayed last time I was here." Maia frowned, mimicking him in putting her phone away as she slipped it into one of the pockets of her jacket. "I just re-awoke in this place, somewhere over that way," she continued, waving vaguely behind her, "but I haven't yet regained my bearings."
"You live here then?" Niall asked, wondering if she could answer questions for him about where this place was and more importantly, why he'd been brought here. "Are you from here originally?
Maia was shaking her head after the first question. "No, I'm from Brooklyn," she said, a little wistfully, "but I've been here before. It's been almost a month since I was last here... I'm not back by choice, that's for sure. So you just arrived, too, I guess."
"I did. Brooklyn, a city I'm familiar with." It seemed not everyone in Somarium was from exactly the same reality, if that's what you'd call it. It was difficult to tell, and interesting.
"Though you have the advantage if you know of this place already. Any tips for a newcomer?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, I have no advantage," Maia admitted, moving to sit down next to Niall. "There's not much about this place people can know, or control. That phone you have is a Dreamberry. It records and broadcasts dreams for the world to see, and there's not much you can do about it, so you might as well make your peace with that little lack of privacy."
She swallowed, remembering the dream the phone had chosen to record in her last stay; it wasn't one she would have liked to have had, and especially not broadcast. She shook off the thought.
"The place also seems to be linked with the moon, or from what I can tell and what I heard," Maia continued, looking up. She could feel it even though it was too early to see it-- waning again, like the last time. "Phases are longer and... things happen on the new moon." She frowned. "New moons are rarely good anywhere, though."
Niall took the opportunity when she looked up to look her over more properly. Something dark about her, he thought, that was highly attractive. When she frowned his eyes went to her lips, but he looked up with her quickly after.
"So I've heard." The moon phase was equally as interesting to him as the thought of the phones recording and showing people's dreams. He rarely remembered his own dreams, but he was fairly certain whatever they were they were private. Wasn't that the nature of dreams, somewhere private for your mind to exercise itself? Still, any faery had a voyeuristic streak, and Niall thought he would share his own dreams gladly in order to see everyone else's in turn.
"The moon has a pull on all of us," he commented vaguely, leaning subtly closer toward her.
"Ah," Maia said, her voice half-amused, as she tilted her head up to face him, "well, I suppose that's true, but it might have a little more pull on some of us than on others."
Closer, she could better taste his scent. He still smelled of faery, but different from the Seelie Court she knew-- not as cold, perhaps, though still dark, but with more of a sweetness. Something addictive. Again she caught another glimpse of that face-beneath-a-face behind his eyes but this time did not try to see further; she didn't need to see, not if he was using a glamour that wasn't meant only for Mundane eyes.
Niall remained quiet and still, glancing at the sky and at Maia, letting her look her fill. He recognized her getting a scent of him and he found it curious. He didn't mind the attention; he actually rather liked it.
Once she seemed to have satisfied herself, he leaned in close and murmured, "I think you're staring."
Caught staring for the second time in her brief meeting with Niall, Maia at least had the grace to turn red, flushing in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said, gaze flicking up, "I was just... trying to get a better sense of you."
It was time to drop all pretenses, she decided; he was clearly not human, so there was no point in pretending. "You're not like the faeries I know from home," she said bluntly. "Your scent is a little different." She inhaled again. "But I think I like yours better."
So she could partially see him, and used her scent. Perhaps she was like Leslie only with no true Sight, partial Sight, if there was such a thing. Or maybe she was a half-breed, with some faery blood in her somewhere. Niall didn't know, but he did find her embarrassment and curiosity both interesting and flattering. It also gave him a chance to tease her.
Niall leaned in a little closer, a shadow passing over his eyes for a moment as he murmured, "Do you want to truly see me?" He kept his eyes intently on her for a few seconds before nodding toward a nearby cottage. They could go behind it, out of eyesight of the village, so he could drop the glamor hiding his true appearance.
Maia followed his line of sight, then nodded. "I would, if you don't mind showing me," she said as she turned to look back at him, tilting her head. "I can almost see... but not fully, not consistently. My nose is better than my eyes." A faint smile flickered over her face; she pulled back then, pushing herself back to her feet.
Niall was pleased with her answer. He'd thought she might be too scared; but if she already was catching glimpses then she had some idea already of what he looked like. He looked much more human than many fey, especially of the Dark Court, but he looked anything but 'normal' in his true form. Amongst the faery he knew he was considered beautiful but with humans, you really never knew. Some thought he was grotesque and frightening, others intrigued. Maia's response would be very interesting.
He lead her away from the low stone wall and to the cottage he'd indicated. Niall took a moment to peek through windows and listen for sounds but determined the house was empty. Once he was assure they were alone and it was safe, he shook off his glamor. His soft features sharpened, his eyes became reflective, his skin glowed from within, and his mottled brown wings spread out behind him.
"...Faery," Maia said without thinking. As much as she didn't much like the Seelie, she'd always been a little fascinated. Unaware she was staring, Maia tilted her head, trying to see past the glamour he wore.
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Finally he glanced up at her. "Hello." Whatever she was, she was rather lovely.
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"And you?"
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And her nose wasn't helping much, either, dammit.
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"Though you have the advantage if you know of this place already. Any tips for a newcomer?" he asked.
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She swallowed, remembering the dream the phone had chosen to record in her last stay; it wasn't one she would have liked to have had, and especially not broadcast. She shook off the thought.
"The place also seems to be linked with the moon, or from what I can tell and what I heard," Maia continued, looking up. She could feel it even though it was too early to see it-- waning again, like the last time. "Phases are longer and... things happen on the new moon." She frowned. "New moons are rarely good anywhere, though."
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"So I've heard." The moon phase was equally as interesting to him as the thought of the phones recording and showing people's dreams. He rarely remembered his own dreams, but he was fairly certain whatever they were they were private. Wasn't that the nature of dreams, somewhere private for your mind to exercise itself? Still, any faery had a voyeuristic streak, and Niall thought he would share his own dreams gladly in order to see everyone else's in turn.
"The moon has a pull on all of us," he commented vaguely, leaning subtly closer toward her.
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Closer, she could better taste his scent. He still smelled of faery, but different from the Seelie Court she knew-- not as cold, perhaps, though still dark, but with more of a sweetness. Something addictive. Again she caught another glimpse of that face-beneath-a-face behind his eyes but this time did not try to see further; she didn't need to see, not if he was using a glamour that wasn't meant only for Mundane eyes.
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Once she seemed to have satisfied herself, he leaned in close and murmured, "I think you're staring."
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It was time to drop all pretenses, she decided; he was clearly not human, so there was no point in pretending. "You're not like the faeries I know from home," she said bluntly. "Your scent is a little different." She inhaled again. "But I think I like yours better."
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Niall leaned in a little closer, a shadow passing over his eyes for a moment as he murmured, "Do you want to truly see me?" He kept his eyes intently on her for a few seconds before nodding toward a nearby cottage. They could go behind it, out of eyesight of the village, so he could drop the glamor hiding his true appearance.
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He lead her away from the low stone wall and to the cottage he'd indicated. Niall took a moment to peek through windows and listen for sounds but determined the house was empty. Once he was assure they were alone and it was safe, he shook off his glamor. His soft features sharpened, his eyes became reflective, his skin glowed from within, and his mottled brown wings spread out behind him.
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