monsters still in our time
In Grant Park, somewhere far from the crucifixion site, far enough that you can't even see the yellow police tape, Bean is sitting at a table. On and beneath the table are boxes and boxes of T-shirts, in all different sizes and colors. All of them have the phrase "Wanderer? Fine by me" printed in bold letters on the fronts. Bean herself is wearing
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"You shouldn't be out here," he says. There's a pause, while he considers the image this must present to passerby. Another pause, while he considers the fact that he doesn't care. "You're going to get yourself killed."
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"U-um...I k-know it's dangerous, b-but I needed to d-do something...a-and I made all these shirts anyway...and! And we need to prove that we're n-not scared of people who are awful and cowardly, and even if it's a little thing, I mean..." She loses her steam and shrinks a little. "Please don't hurt me, they're just T-shirts..."
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Of course, he also can't blame her. He's a mess.
The demon digs into his pocket, muttering Spanish curses all the while. "How much?"
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"O-oh! You want to buy one? Um--th-they're just four dollars each. Um. What size and color would you like, sir?"
Potato sort of snorts a little, relaxing infinitesimally, but still keeping his eyes on Adrian.
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The girl in pink seems harmless enough, and going by the bold typeface, Eilir's inclined to let her guard down. The chocolate high might be influencing too.
{"Brazen of you, but I approve. You aren't out here alone are you? Brass goes a long way, but not if someone wants to take their prejudices out on you."} Eilir considers putting the cocoa down to feign benign communication, or dig for her notebook, but it's too good, and the telepathy's easier.
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She looks around and spots the woman standing nearby and gives her a suspicious look. She leans toward her conspiratorially and then whispers,
"Did you hear that?"
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"You're talking to me in my head, aren't you?" Bean whispers, trying to contain her excitement. A real telepath! Bean wonders what she'll do if this woman turns out to be an X-Man. She did already meet Bruce Wayne. And then suddenly the concept of Marvel and DC characters in the same real universe hits her.
Awesome.
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Today she's sad, and still a little scared. She still stops at the table with the scattered t-shirts. Because it's fine by her, too. Her ward is a wanderer. They're people, too and she doesn't get it. She tries, she tries hard to understand how things like this can happen and she doesn't.
"These are really pretty," Phoebe whispers to the girl, eying one of the beaded amulets.
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"Thank you! They're good luck charms, I guess. Um, those are five dollars each, and then the T-shirts are four dollars each. Although I've just sorta been giving them away to people who don't have, you know, cash or checks on them and stuff. Supporting people's more important than money!" Bean bobs her head as if to emphasize the point.
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"And dudes and dudettes here need all the luck they can get, for serious." Phoebe bites her lip as she looks down at the beaded amulets again. "I've got money, it's okies. I'll take two luck charms, I think? I have a ward and maybe he'd like one."
Not that it'll protect him the way she's supposed to even if she's stupidly young to have a ward in the first place. "Do you need help selling stuff? I mean, I'm not really doing anything right now and this is a good idea."
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"Your ward? You mean...like a sidekick or something?" The only time Bean has heard the word "ward" used in reference to a person is in comic books.
She smiles brightly. "Sure! That'd be great! I mean, if you want to. Or if you even want to take a bunch and distribute them around your school or something."
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He sees the finger and stops, eyebrows raised. "Well. I do believe I recognize that appendage. Though not its bearer. Might I ask where you acquired it?"
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He studies Den for half a moment before answering. He knows very little about him aside from rumors in the Org, and from what he's seen through Ace, but rumors can be telling. The man is clearly intelligent and possibly insane, though likely on a different level from Dev or Ace. And he likes games. Tests. That makes him interesting, a curiosity, and perhaps someone to play with.
"It's less a game of Keep-Away than it is a game of tag. Hm, Capture the Flag, maybe? The point is not to know who's got the flag until it's too late. But, you've gone and caught me! 'It' now, I suppose. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Den Varlis."
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Den settles beside the toaster, raising an eyebrow at it as he catches the purring sound. "Chicago. It really is a place of endless curiosities."
He pockets the finger with a little flourish.
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He smiles and pats the toaster. "It most certainly is. But that just means there's no end to the fun, yes? And you should try the toast this thing can make sometime."
Something about Den reminds Dev of Absinthe. Something in his manner and demeanor. Absinthe always walked through the world as if she had a plan for everything; she always smiled in a way that made you think she already knew how everything was going to happen, how everything was going to end. Was that what you called charisma?
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