Beatrice had only heard of this place by word of mouth a few days ago, when she happened to be eavesdropping on a pair of customers, comparing her shop to it. More authentic, they said. That lady in Chinatown actually reads your dreams.
Oh, she'd show them more authentic. She didn't care what this woman did, she was the real witch in this place. And nobody was going to stand her up, even in the meager art of selling the occult. So, after very quickly consulting a map to figure out the address, she put on her most elegant dress, took up her pipe, and vanished in a flock of gold butterflies, only to reappear in the lobby of the so-called soothsayer's shop.
"So," she said, in her best, most powerful voice. "Where is this woman who can read my dreams?"
Anna chuckled. She knew from bossy and indignant, and it didn't bother her. "I am she," Anna says. "Lin Jie Bai. Or Jie Bai, if you wish to be more familiar."
"I see my reputation precedes me, but I am at a disadvantage, miss...?"
...ah. Of course, the city is full of supers, so naturally you have some honest to god witches, Anna thought, her eye twitching a little.
Out loud, she murmured, "I have some small talent for that, yes. And a smaller one for interpretation. Of course, I... do wrap myself in symbols, petty illusions. My clients expect some, you see."
She smiles. "You are a fellow Wuuh P'oh, I take it?" Anna frowned. This was America; she'd prefer to call a witch a witch and a smeerp a rabbit. But she still wanted to keep in character.
Li Park wandered into the shop, not neccessarily for any particular reason. He tended to let his feet and not his head lead the way as he roamed Chinatown, which was his main haunt. Having people who spoke his language, if not his relatively ancient dialect of it, was a comfort.
He walked in the door with a slightly absent look on his face.
"Immortal Iron Fist? Takes all kinds of supers, I guess; I shouldn't be surprised that there's a martial artist among the imPorts."
Anna pours tea for the both of them, then she sits down and sips hers. "I'm a dream interpreter and fortuneteller. I... have training in the I Ching and my powers actually let me literally see dreams, so I figure it's at least an semi-honest living."
Pokey usually wasn't swayed by mysticism. Science, more than anything, could predict and explain any event. Everything had an explanation that could be rendered understandable by science. Even the forms of magic he had seen had some scientific concepts behind them.
But recently, he'd been seeing that his previous means of explaining the world around him might not apply here. The rules had, for a lack of better terms, begun to unravel. And his dreams...well, he could barely remember them, and when he did, it was only for a few moments after waking up. So he stared at the sign to the small shop for a moment, eyebrow raised cynically.
He didn't have to do this, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little interested. And forty dollars wasn't too much for him. So he slowly opened the door and closed it softly as he entered.
Staring at the bead curtain, he tilted his head and asked quizzically, "Hello? Anyone here?"
Pokey tilted his head slightly at the woman in curiosity. He knew it was Anna, and despite her using an odd name which would usually mean it was a con, he felt oddly relieved at who it was. After all, she had told him about the dream dimension in her world; maybe there was some truth to what she was claiming.
Walking through the bead curtain, he sat down at the table and said politely (for him), "I'd like to have my dreams read, miss."
Satisfied that Pokey either didn't recognize her or was playing along, Anna got back into stride. "Of course, young master," she says, lighting a candle with the old match-in-the-fingertips trick a snap of her fingers.
She pulls out a chair for you. "I must ask you, though, for permission to be put under hypnosis. If you do not dream, I cannot read your dreams. I trust you understand?"
Comments 35
Oh, she'd show them more authentic. She didn't care what this woman did, she was the real witch in this place. And nobody was going to stand her up, even in the meager art of selling the occult. So, after very quickly consulting a map to figure out the address, she put on her most elegant dress, took up her pipe, and vanished in a flock of gold butterflies, only to reappear in the lobby of the so-called soothsayer's shop.
"So," she said, in her best, most powerful voice. "Where is this woman who can read my dreams?"
Reply
"I see my reputation precedes me, but I am at a disadvantage, miss...?"
Reply
As she spoke she did a little flourish of her pipe, causing the last of her butterflies to vanish.
"So, Lin Jie Bai, can you read others' dreams? Or where the rumors I heard merely exaggerated?"
Reply
Out loud, she murmured, "I have some small talent for that, yes. And a smaller one for interpretation. Of course, I... do wrap myself in symbols, petty illusions. My clients expect some, you see."
She smiles. "You are a fellow Wuuh P'oh, I take it?" Anna frowned. This was America; she'd prefer to call a witch a witch and a smeerp a rabbit. But she still wanted to keep in character.
Reply
He walked in the door with a slightly absent look on his face.
Reply
"Welcome to my shop, sir. I'm Lin Jie Bai. ...Well, obviously that's not my English name, but the tourists and such expect my Chinese name y'know?"
She pulls up a chair for him.
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He sat down in the chair. "What kind of shop is this?"
Reply
Anna pours tea for the both of them, then she sits down and sips hers. "I'm a dream interpreter and fortuneteller. I... have training in the I Ching and my powers actually let me literally see dreams, so I figure it's at least an semi-honest living."
Reply
But recently, he'd been seeing that his previous means of explaining the world around him might not apply here. The rules had, for a lack of better terms, begun to unravel. And his dreams...well, he could barely remember them, and when he did, it was only for a few moments after waking up. So he stared at the sign to the small shop for a moment, eyebrow raised cynically.
He didn't have to do this, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little interested. And forty dollars wasn't too much for him. So he slowly opened the door and closed it softly as he entered.
Staring at the bead curtain, he tilted his head and asked quizzically, "Hello? Anyone here?"
Reply
While she thought of something to say, she made and elaborate, exxagerated bow to her customer.
Reply
Walking through the bead curtain, he sat down at the table and said politely (for him), "I'd like to have my dreams read, miss."
Reply
She pulls out a chair for you. "I must ask you, though, for permission to be put under hypnosis. If you do not dream, I cannot read your dreams. I trust you understand?"
Reply
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