they were circles around the sun

[monsterinstinct]

There are some in this world who can make it look like they haven't been crying when, in reality, they've just nearly sobbed their own eyes out.

Kae is not one of those people. She walks back into the Kashtta with puffy, red eyes and cheeks, a handkerchief dangling from her back pocket. She's having one of those days where she remembers just how

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[themaelstrom77]

Actually, Fletcher's phone doesn't hit Miles, but it does knock his cup of coffee neatly out of his hand. He stares helplessly for a moment as his coffee sinks into the dirt, then glances around for the culprit.

Oh, of course it's Fletcher, isn't it?

"Nice aim," he says with a smirk as he ambles over, putting his hands in his pockets.

He's been in a bad, bad state for the last week,, but it's a little better now. Miles doesn't quite look like absolute shit anymore.

[knowmycall]

Please hold while Fletcher tries not to die laughing.

Thank you.

"Oh, Jesus," he breathes, still snickering and holding his sides. "I'm sorry. Really. I didn't know y'were even there." For once, he was not trying to be a jackass.

This may be proof that he's just a jackass all the time.

Anyway, luckily (or not) for Miles, laughing at someone else's expense always makes Fletcher feel better, so his mood's much better than it was a few seconds ago. He sits up and grins. "Want a replacement? I'll play nice and buy you one, if y'want."

[themaelstrom77]

Miles actually laughs a little along with Fletcher. He'd be laughing just as hard if this were the other way around, so.

"I wouldn't protest to that," Miles says, nodding.

Why the hell not? He doesn't have anything better to do. And it's certainly a better option that just going home, where he'd likely destroy his plans of not drinking after how he spent the past week, pent up with only beer and pizza for company.

[knowmycall]

"Fantastic!"

If he did protest, Fletcher might have to slap him. So hooray for good decisions!

"Lead me to wherever you go that last cup and I'll follow. In the meantime..." He stands, pushing his hands into his pockets and giving Miles a quick look over, one eyebrow slightly arching over his sunglasses. "How've you been, man? You look like of... eh."

[singsing_a_song]

Meggie will promptly stop Kae in her tracks.

"Are you okay?"

That's all she's says, all the introduction she gives. She feels it's all that's needed.

What? She's seven.

[monsterinstinct]

Great.

Kae scrubs her face, then shakes her head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

This is not obviously a lie, but it might not be the truth. Not that it should really matter. What's a tiny kid doing here in the middle of the hall, anyway?

She eyes the girl, looking a little concerned. "Are you supposed to be here?"

[singsing_a_song]

Meggie looks very, very confused by the question. She's not sure how to answer it.

"I'm supposed to move in with a new foster family. But then something happened and now I'm in a different Chicago. And now I live here."

She doesn't seemed very concerned about all of this, though.

"Why were you crying?"

Meggie likes to ask questions, and she'll keep going until she gets a satisfactory answer.

[monsterinstinct]

...oh.

Well.

That's as good an explanation as any, really. Kae still wants to know who's watching over the girl, but that can wait because she's just been asked a question that is making her wildly uncomfortable. She shifts her weight from foot to foot, tail dangling idly behind her, and shrugs.

"I was upset."

She fully expects an "about what?" to follow.

[wearsnomask]

Rachel narrowly avoids a cell pone to the chest.

She takes a step back, styrofoam cup of coffee in hand, and glances up to see who to glare at.

Ah.

Of course.

She sighs, noting his mood. "Fletcher."

[knowmycall]

Whoops.

For a moment, Fletch actually looks guilty. "Miss Rachel."

He sits up, casually dusting himself off, then fixes her with an innocent, slightly apologetic face. This is all you're getting, Rachel. Treasure it. "A fine day for tossing electronics around the park, aye?"

[wearsnomask]

Okay, so she cracks a smile at the Miss Rachel.

"So it would seem," she answers benignly, sitting down next to him. She crosses her legs and places the coffee on her lap, studying him thoughtfully. Far be it for her to pry, and far be it for her to expect an honest answer, but--

"You okay?" she asks.

[knowmycall]

And there it is.

Fletch, thankful for his sunglasses, discreetly rolls his eyes. It's not that he doesn't appreciate her concern, because they are almost sort-of friends, but today is not a day where he wants to talk about feelings.

He leans back, propping his elbows up against the back of the bench. He is the definition of cool.

"I'm as fine as can be expected."

[ladys_free]

It does not hit Nodate, who watches it soar past him and collide with some poor, unsuspecting schmuck. He presses his lips together, nodding, impressed-it was a good hit, intentional or no. It's when he looks at the source of the projectile that things predictably get weird.

He's...not used to it, no. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it, feeling other people's emotions, much stranger to him than his new ability to speak and understand English perfectly. It's constant, so ubiquitous that he'd figured out what he was feeling soon after arriving in Chicago: love, of course, love and all its ups and downs. And the man he's staring at now is feeling love both up and down.

But while he's figured out what it is that he's feeling, he hasn't figured out what the hell he's supposed to do about it. There's a vague idea in his mind, something about control, something he won't let himself entertain, for sanity's sake. He still has to believe there are impossible things in this world, even if everything that's happened to him lately has

[knowmycall]

Nodate's staring doesn't go unnoticed. Fletch watches the man from the corner of his eye-God bless sunglasses!-and pretends like he didn't really notice anything until he's approached.

"Oh, y'saw that? Hope it didn't hit you. It was a business thing." He waves a dismissive hand in the air. "You know." Pause. "Or maybe y'don't."

Another pause.

"Actually, I just like throwin' phones."

[ladys_free]

“That's a dangerous hobby. You could have hit someone.” He says this semi-seriously, almost bored, as he would to a child he's lecturing to about shoplifting: something everyone should know, but which he is reminding the other person of for the sake of it. “And anyway,” he continues, “if your business causes you that much stress, you should quit it.”

Almost as if he shrugs, the topic is dismissed. The person didn't look hurt, anyway.

[knowmycall]

Fletch knows that tone, Nodate. He gets it from everyone.

The other man's comment about quitting gets a loud, obnoxious scoff of a laugh. "Aye, okay. I'll do that. Thanks for the advice."

[sophicsulphur]

Iris should really come out to the park more often, if this is what she's going to run into.

She likes the park because, in some rare places, if she squints and blocks out some of the distant structures, she can pretend she's in one of the Alterworlds she knew before, where everything was green.

She thinks she likes it even more if there are mages in it, though.

"Whoa, that's amazing, that's amazing!" she shouts over the rush of air as she pulls up by Kenzie, the wind tugging forecefully at her hair. She keeps a tight hold on her hair wrap, because it's just the kind of thing that the wind might like to snatch up and blow halfway across the park.

"You can just do that, yourself? You don't have a Mana?" She's done similar things before, with the aid of a Mana and a focusing tool, but this girl doesn't seem to be using either. It's all coming from her. Impressed, she is.

[arrowblessed]

As soon as Iris approaches and starts talking, Kenzie drops her arms to the side and stares. The breeze immediately dies.

What. Is she even talking about.

"I don't have a what?" She wrinkles her nose, eyebrows furrowing. "I dunno what that is. Mana?"

[sophicsulphur]

Iris figured as much. Most people don't seem to know the term offhand when she mentions it. It doesn't faze her.

"An elemental spirit, basically." She's a little sad that she's stopped with the magic. It was pretty-- magic always is, to her-- and it felt nice to have the breeze in her hair and on her skin. "Don't worry about it. I was just saying, I'm impressed, that you can do that all by yourself." She smiles. "I can't do that. It would be nice, though."

"...Sorry if I'm interrupting you," she adds. "You don't have to stop."

[arrowblessed]

Kenzie is sort of new to this whole actual magic existing thing. She's read about plenty-mostly old, old magic-but this is still kind of weird. She figures Iris must be one of those people who've always known real magic.

"Oh. I got this when I showed up. From the Rift."

She absently tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, watching Iris a little warily. She still hasn't gotten the hang of being social with people, here.

"Anyway, thanks. It is pretty cool. What can you do?"