RPG The Magicians [PG]

[Zen]

[center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/PicKitty/TheMagicianspromosplash.png[/img]

[color=red][Rated PG-13][/color]




[b][u]Chapter 1:[/b][/u] Ladies and Gentlemen...[/center]


[color=darkred][size=1]



Mugen sat impatiently on a bench, watching for certain faces in the massive human traffic flowing through Central Park. He wore a dark red hooded jacket and faded blue jeans. His red-Nike covered foot tapped nervously on the pavement as his eyes shifted back and forth. It was a noon, and the sun warmed the brightly lit day. The ground was still wet from rain the night before, but the clouds had cleared up well, shining sunlight reflecting from puddles on the ground.

Mugen was tired and weary. His night before had been long from phone calls and e-mails. The situation was dire, and he had contacted as many people as he could. Now it was time to wait. He told his allies where to meet, but their tardiness caused him to grow more and more fearful that they had been reached by the cloaked men before he could warn them. He knew that the cloaked ones were dangerous, but each person on his list was a powerful sorcerer or sorceress in their own right. That?s why he needed their help, and that?s why he could have them being played against him. He couldn?t imagine having to face one of his contacts in combat, each one would surely be a troubling, if not terrifying opponent. All calls had been confirmed, but the time was passing far to fast for Mugen?s comfort.

He sat uneasily and awaited their presence... they couldn?t arrive sooner.[/color][/size]


[size=1]

[center]______________________________________[/center]



Now you must all forgive the short post, but I didn?t want to be redundant. You all know the deal. In your first post though, I want it to be a bit longer. Write your character arriving home, receiving Mugen?s message (be it by phone call or e-mail). After that, write them meeting Mugen at Central Park, where he will be waiting. After the initial meeting and greeting, end your post so I can place us in the right direction.

Thanks,

- Mike[/size]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]Albrecht was already on his way to the airport when his cell phone informed him he had voicemail. Seeing as he never settled anywhere he didn't actually own a phone OR a computer, and only a select few had his private number.

He rested one elbow on his suitcase and flipped open his cell, raising his eyebrows at the name left. He pressed the phone to his ear and heard Mugen's voice for the first time in what seemed like an age. He sounded rushed and panicky, and Albrecht could tell instantly that his fellow magician had experienced the same frightening encounter as he had earlier that day.

He had planned on fleeing back to Germany, still unsure about what the strange man had wanted with him, but he supposed a trip to New York wouldn't be too detrimental, especially if he was with someone. He imagined he'd be able to get there in just over two hours if he got the first flight possible, and as soon as he was able he was seated in first class on his way to the Big Apple.

The flight passed quiet quickly and Albrecht had listened to Mugen's message about ten times during the journey, trying to work out what was going on. It was becoming apparent that he hadn't been targeted because of his past...activities, but more so due to his powers. For some reason that made him feel more at ease, because dealing with the occult was something he was far more comfortable with.

He didn't even bother to find a hotel when he arrived in New York and took the first taxi he could to Central Park, causing a great frustration to those out walking with his two large suitcases and rucksack slung over a shoulder. He spotted the back of Mugen's head and whistled, speeding up a little as the younger man turned to look at him, a brief moment of confusion passing his eyes before he recognised Albrecht for who he was.

[B]"Albert, right?"[/B]

[B]"Alb[I]recht[/I], if you please. Albert sounds so...so [B]English[/B]."[/B]

Mugen smiled only slightly and helped the German push one of his bags over to the side so he could sit down on the bench, relaxing back with his hands behind his head.

[B]"So I am ze first to arrive, ja? Let us hope ze others do not have to travel too far."[/B]

[B]"Amen, brother."[/B] was all Mugen said as he continued peering out through the crowd, Albrecht glancing at him only briefly before doing the same.[/SIZE]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]Xavier walked through the drenched allyways behind Greenwich street by the dim lights of the street lamps and lanterns in the store windows. He held the collar of his jacket closed with one hand, his other deep in his pocket to keep it warm.

[b][i]'I have a feeling I will see that man again...or will this master he speaks of come personally this time? There are many questions that I require answers for, I will get them somehow'[/i][/b] he thought to himself as he turned the corner.

The walk from the shop he worked at in Tribeca to his apartment in the south end of Greenwich Village was unusually shorter on this night thanks to all the thoughts racing through his head. He approached his street and freed his keys from the confinement of his pocket. As he walked up to this door he was greeted by an eldery couple who were sitting beside the small stairway leading up to the entrance.

[b]"Xavier, you're home quite early! Did you close already?"[/b] the woman asked.

[b]"Hello Mrs. Franklin, yes we are closed for the evening. You should go inside, it's still drizzling a little bit."[/b] Xavier responded, propping one leg up on the second stair.

[b]"Nonsense, it's nice out! A little rain never killed anybody."[/b] Mr Franklin replied, adjusting his brown top hat.

[b]"Xavier, there's a show over at the Vanguard in a couple of hours. You should come with us since you have the time!"[/b] Mrs Franklin suggested.

[b]"Oh...it sounds nice, but no thank you. I...have some things to take care of. But thank you for the offer."[/b] Xavier said, shaking his head.

[b]"Oh, well that's too bad. Cherice will be working there tonight too, but you are a very busy young man."[/b]

Xavier tilted his head a bit, remembering the girl the Franklins had introduced to him a few weeks ago, who also happened to be their grand-daughter. He didn't really have time for stuff like that, it had been quite a while since Xavier's last girlfriend. His commitment to the shop and the debt his father left to some shady characters from the SoHo area kept him busy at all times of the day.

[b]"Oh...well, please give her my regards."[/b] Xavier said, his tone a bit weaker then before.

Xavier waved at the couple who lived in the same building as him and proceeded to unlock the door. He walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered into his apartment. He pushed aside some papers on the floor with his foot and tossed his keys and blue raincoat onto his bed. He went into his bathroom and tossed his glasses into the air behind him, catching it on a shelf he created in mid-air. He splashed some water on his face and dried himself off with a nearby towel. He broke the illusion and caught the glasses in his palm as they fell.

He passed by his computer which was left on as it usually was, but the alert on the bottom right drew his attention as he looked over.

[b]"New mail, huh. Must be more junk, I don't recognize the address...wait a minute"[/b] Xavier stopped himself while he read through the subject line. He thought back to why the address then seemed familiar in conjunction with the subject line that read "[i]Magicians[/i]". He read through the e-mail, it was short and concise.

[b]"Mugen...Mugen...ah yes, that's right..."[/b] Xavier said to himself, recalling the name. [b]"Central Park...right now? Hm, this may concern what happened at the shop...I better see what this is all about."[/b]

Xavier threw his jacket back on and grabbed an apple from his refrigerator. He walked out the door and headed for the closest 1-2-3 track station. He rode the 1 train for about 15 minutes to 59th street-Columbus Circle and got off on the south end of Central Park. He made his way into the park and scanned the benches as he passed by them all to see if he could recognize the man he has come to meet. After a 2 minute walk a call came out to him from a bench on the west side of the park.

[b]"Xavier? Yo, Over here."[/b]

Xavier looked over and saw Mugen sitting there. He walked over and stood there infront of him. He noticed another person beside him but did not recognize him.

[b]"It's been a while, Mugen. It seems we've both encountered a similar problem"[/b] Xavier said. He looked over at the other person.

[b]"This is Albrecht, another like us."[/b] Mugen said in a quick and informal intruduction.

[b]"Nice to meet you, I am Xavier"[/b] he said with a nod. [/color][/FONT]

[Blayze]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]LeCrosse stepped out of the alleyway into the pouring rain, feeling the icy-cold liquid flow across his body. He breathed in deep, and let out a long, vapourised lungful of air into the night sky. He hadn't had a good workout like that in a long time.

He twisted his head around, feeling the tendons crack in his neck, and stretched his arms out. He was tired, and just wanted to go home. So he walked across the street, already drenched from the rain, and stepped into a small, run-down apartment block. His apartment was on the third floor, meaning he had to trek up a number of stairs before he even got to his front door. Unlocking the door quickly with a copper-plated key, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The apartment was modest, but that's how LeCrosse liked it. Too many things cluttered a man's mind, that's how he saw it. He stripped off his shirt and threw it to the floor, stepping into the bathroom. He was pretty bruised from that fight, but those are always the good ones. He began to wash up, cleaning the dirt from his face and body, and trying to sterilize and bandage any open wounds he may have received.

He threw a new shirt on and changed his trousers into a pair of dark jeans, and just as he had finished, his phone rang. Picking it up with one hand, he spun the receiver under his chin, keeping it pressed to his shoulder.

[b]"Hello?" [/b]he said, his voice thick with Louisiana "yat," a strange type of accent common to the Cajuns.

[b]"LeCrosse?" [/b]said a voice on the end of the phone.

[b]"Who be wantin' ta know?"

"You know who this is, LeCrosse. I'm trying to locate all the Magicians I know - we may have a problem."

"Yea', I kinda know wha' you mean by dat," [/b]replied LeCrosse, [b]"Had a run-in wi' a strange fellow - figured you migh' be needin' me for dis one, Mugen."

"Great. Meet me in Central Park."

"When?"

"Right now." [/b]Mugen hung up, ending the call with a click. LeCrosse placed the phone back on the hook, threw on a jacket, ran a hand through his hair and packed a few things in a bag. He reckoned he could be gone for a while. Then, with a jump, he swung himself out of the window onto the fire escape, and leapt across the to opposite building.

[b][i]I fancy the scenic route...

[/i][/b][/font][center]---

[left][font=Lucida Sans Unicode]LeCrosse watched carefully as Mugen met two other people - both male, both of similar ages. LeCrosse shifted uncomfortably in his vantage point, crouched on a thick, sturdy tree branch overlooking the bench Mugen was occupying.

[b][i]You know t'ings are gettin' bad when this many Magicians, dey get together... [/i][/b]he thought, [b][i]But, if times call for it, den who am I ta argue?

[/i][/b]He leapt down from the tree and vaulted over the fence straight onto the bench next to Mugen.

[b]"Evenin', fellas," [/b]he said jovially, [b]"Nice nigh' for it."[/b][/font]
[/left]
[/center]

[Kitty]

[size=1][indent]An older woman, somewhere in her late seventies, struggled to get out of her comfortable chair in the living room to answer the phone. Her husband was asleep on the coach next to the fireplace, snoring through the newspaper that rested on his face. She normally wouldn't accept any calls at such a late hour, but her granddaughter had yet to arrive home, and she was hopeful that it would be her on the other line.

[b]"Hello? Nikki?"[/b] she asked eagerly, only to be disappointed when a male's voice responded.

[b]"Um... No. Actually, I was calling for her. Is she in?"[/b]

[b]"Sorry, but I'm not quite sure where she is--"[/b] The front door opened, interrupting the old woman. A sigh of relief escaped her, as she walked over and wrapped her arms around the teenager, the phone still in her hand.

[b]"Grandma? What are you doing up?"[/b]

[b]"Oh, just worrying about you,"[/b] she chortled, before placing the receiver in Nikki's hand with a wink, [b]"Phone's for you. Good night, dear."[/b] After kissing her on the forehead, she walked back to the living room to give her husband a gentle smack on the shoulder to wake him.

[b]"Hello?"[/b] Nikki asked, watching her guardians move slowly towards their bedroom.

[b]"Nikki? This is Mugen. Do you remember me?"[/b]

[b]"Not really. The name is familiar, though. Can you tell me when you think we met?"[/b]

[b]"Max's funeral."[/b] The mention of her sister's name startled her. She hadn't heard anyone mention her in a few years, and suddenly some stranger called and said it almost right off the bat. Making sure her grandparents were in their room, she turned towards the wall and spoke in a quieter voice.

[b]"H-How did you know my sister?"[/b] Her demand didn't come out as forceful as she wanted it to sound. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.

[b]"Are... are you working with that cloaked guy?"[/b]

[b]"Ah, so you had a run in, too? No, I don't work with them, but the reason I'm calling has something to do with their cause. Come to Central Park."[/b]

[b]"What makes you think I can come? I do have a curfew, you know,"[/b] she began with a defensive snarl. She was always slightly edgy when her sister was brought up.

[b]"I know you can get around it. Get here as soon as you can."[/b]

And with that, he hung up. Nikki stood silently in the entryway, staring at the wall for a good five minutes before she ran through the kitchen towards her room. She grabbed her favorite hip bag and stuffed it with her cell phone, her wallet and a scarf from her room, adding a couple other things and a few snacks as she rushed back out through the kitchen on her way towards the front door. She paused by the phone and wrote a short message to her grandparents in case this meeting kept her through the next morning. She fingered the necklace she had acquired only a half hour ago while she scribbled as fast as she could. When she was done, she pushed open the front door and was headed for the train station.

[center]---[/center]

[b]"So I'm not the only one you called?"[/b]

A few older faces turned and watched as the sixteen year old approached them. She stopped next to the only other person standing up, and noticed that her eye level was just above his shoulders. She was taller than most of her friends, but these were older men, most of them probably in their twenties. She felt out of place being so much shorter and younger than all of them, but she convinced herself that there were probably more coming, and that at least [i]one[/i] of them had to be around her age.

[b]"I hope I'm not the only girl, either,"[/b] she thought aloud, causing the others to give her odd glances. She shrugged, pretending to be rather interested in a squirrel running across the pathway to hide the small blush on her cheeks.[/indent][/size]

[Allamorph]

[size=1]Reheating dinner didn?t bother Darius all that much; it just meant he?d spent too much time feeding his pyromania again. He barely tasted the warmed-over stew as it was. Normally he would have eaten slowly, savoring his meal?s flavors, but tonight he ate absently, picking at the beef, carrots, and potatoes without really noticing them at all, his mind preoccupied with his mysterious assailant. That the man had already known his name was unsettling enough?Darius? stage contact information routed all inquiries straight to Lindsay, and his real name appeared nowhere. The stranger had also known where he lived and was familiar with the layout of Darius? house. Of the few people Darius had actually invited over as guests, none had found his basement chamber on the first try, or at all, really. But the man had known exactly where to come, and had wasted no time getting there.

None of these bothered Darius as much as the attack itself. If it hadn?t been for that little incident, he might have simply chalked the whole thing up to a strange mafia run-in and left it at that. But at his curt dismissal of ?the Master?s? invitation, the intruder had immediately attacked Darius with dark magic, something a mere mafia heavy definitely wouldn?t have known how to use. Darius himself refused to dabble in the arcane art, for reasons of moral and ethical import shared by many of his acquaintances; dark magic tended to corrupt its scholar?s mind, and so upstanding practitioners were rarely heard of. They weren?t nonexistent, just quite scarce.

And then his phone rang.

Darius glanced at his kitchen?s wall clock: the dial read twenty ?til one. [I] ?How do they always know?[/I] he thought in aggravation. [I] ?Blasted telemarketers. Here it is almost one in the morning and they still manage to call me during dinner.[/I] He snatched the receiver from its cradle.

[B]?Hellooo??[/B] he answered dramatically.

[B]?Hello, Darius.?[/B] The voice on the other end sounded familiar, and it took Darius a minute to attach a name and face.

[B]?Mugen??[/B] he started. [B]?Wow, this is unexpected. It?s been a while, man. But, what?re you calling now for??[/B] he continued, perplexed. [B]?The middle of the night?s a strange time to start catching up with each other.?[/B]

[B]?I know, Darius. I think we may have a problem on our hands.?[/B]

Darius tone turned instantly serious. [B]?Really,?[/B] he said, his voice hushed. [B]?Let me guess?you were attacked by a dark Magician.?[/B]

[B]?You too??

?Yeah, not an hour ago. I had to defend myself in my own front yard. I was lucky it was raining; my lawn was put out fairly quickly.?[/B]

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Darius thought he heard a muttered expletive. [B]?I need to meet with you,?[/B] Mugen said finally. [B]?I?ve contacted a number of other Magicians; we should be convening in Central Park tomorrow at noon. Can you make it??[/B]

[B]?I?ll be there,?[/B] Darius assured his friend. [B]?Noon tomorrow.?[/B]

[center]---------------------------[/center]

It was a beautiful day to be out. Darius stood casually by the lake, leaning against a tree and watching the various people meander through the Park. His attire hadn?t changed much from the preceding night; he was dressed in a different, darker pair of blue jeans, a thin black leather belt with a understated gold-ish buckle, his boots, a navy blue button-down short sleeve shirt, and a brown leather jacket, and a pair of black sunglasses that fit snugly around his eyes. The shades completely obscured his eyes, allowing him to look in any direction without appearing to shift his vision, a fact which he liked and made use of often.

He glanced to his right, noticing someone in a red hoodie motioning to a passing young man with (oddly) silver hair, who stopped and walked over. The hooded man was seated on a bench next to a person who appeared to be of German descent, and the three spoke briefly before looking back out to the rest of the park-goers. They were abruptly joined by a dark-haired Cajun, who was shortly followed by a pretty, diminutive girl, probably a teenager. Darius grinned.

[B]?That must be them,?[/B] he said to himself satisfactorily. [B]?Time to join the party.?[/B] He ambled over towards the gathering, coming up behind them and placing his hand on the shoulder of the hooded man, who turned out to be a startled Mugen.

[B]?Told ya I?d be here,?[/B] he declared amicably. [B]?So. Am I late??[/B][/size]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Cameron sighed blissfully as rivulets of hot water ran over her skin, warming her after being out in the rain. Luckily neither of her parents were around to see her when she arrived home or else they would have fussed, since she was drenched from the rain and wearing old dirty clothes.

She tilted her face up into the shower spray, pushing her hair back as she scrubbed the intentional dirt from her cheeks. While she was going about this daily routine her mind was buzzing. Who was that person that had attacked her on the street? What did he want with her? Who was this 'master' he was talking about? So many questions, but no answers.

Cam removed herself from the warmth, drying off and dressing into trackpants and a t-shirt for home comfort. She was towel drying her hair when her stomach growled loudly. Remembering that she hadn't eaten anything for the whole day, she wasn't surprised that her stomach was protesting to the lack of food. Draping the towel around her neck and grabbing her phone, she exited the room, jogging down the stairs to the kitchen.

Cammy searched the fridge for food, waving away the servants from the kitchen who were insisting on cooking her something if she was hungry. She got so annoyed by them that she had to order them to leave her alone. Looking at the clock she saw that it would be dinner soon, but she couldn't wait that long without something substantial to eat.

[B]"Something small..."[/B] she mumbled to herself quietly.

She grinned as she saw some ham and cheese. Pulling them out of the fridge she set them on the marble countertop, fetching four slices of bread from the bread box and going about making the sandwiches. She cut the ham up so it was the perfect size, and grated just enough cheese. Cam held the plate holding the sandwiches and walked to the door that led to the inner kitchen where all the kitchen staff worked busily. She called one of the servants to just toast it, enough that it would melt the cheese.

Cameron leaned against the counter while she waited, her mind taking a vacation from her body, only to return as her phone buzzed on the counter beside her. Picking it up she checked the caller ID, seeing who it was she quickly flipped it open, placing it against her ear.

[B]"Mugen?"[/B]

[B]"Cameron, hi. Still remember me?"[/B] the male voice replied.

[B]"Haha, of course I remember you. It's been a while since we've spoken. How are you?"[/B] the teen laughed cheerfully.

[B]"I've been better. Sorry but this isn't a social call."[/B]

Cameron sobered and became serious, brows furrowing. [B]"What is it?"[/B]

[B]"This may be an odd question, but have you been approached by a man in a black hooded cloak?"[/B]

[B]"That's not an odd question at all. I met him on my way home earlier today."[/B] Cameron remembered the feeling she had around that man, it didn't feel right.

[B]"We need to meet up. I've contacted some other magicians I know as well and we'll be meeting in Central Park tomorrow at noon. Can you make it?"[/B]

[B]"You can count on me being there. Noon tomorrow, it is."[/B] Cameron smiled, nodding even though he couldn't see her.

[B]"Great, see you then."[/B]

[B]"Yep, bye."[/B] she hung up the phone, just looking at it, thinking.

[B]"Miss Cameron, your sandwiches?"[/B] a servant said as he brought them over.

Cam smiled, thanking him as she took the plate from his hands, walking back upstairs to contemplate.

[CENTER]---[/CENTER]

Cameron left her house at 11:30am. She rounded a corner, looking around before ducking behind a parked car. She kept watch as she made her transformation, it would be a shock to anyone if they saw her in mid-change, a bit too surprising for unsuspecting people.

A pidgeon flew out from behind the car, its eyes unnaturally an amethyst colour with hazelnut markings.

Cameron surfed the winds, flying toward Central Park. She soared overhead and saw a group of people gathered together. Her eyes spotted the one figure she was searching for, Mugen. Guessing that was the group she was supposed to meet she landed on Mugen's shoulder, cooing and prodding him with her beak. He looked at her and smiled, nodding in confirmation.

Cameron flapped off, landing in an empty area. She transformed back into her human form slowly, startling some of the other magicians as they weren't suspecting it. When her body fully returned to her regular form, she got up from her crouched position, standing in front of the group wearing baggy, torn dark blue jeans, navy blue Nikes, a white pullover hoodie with grungy patterns in shades of blue and purple that looked like it was several sizes too big, and a tank top concealed beneath.

Cameron smiled brightly, walking over and hugging Mugen in a show of friendship, again saying how long it had been since they'd last talked. She remembered the other members of the group.

[B]"Hi, I'm Cameron Hille. Nice to meet you all, sorry if I'm late."[/B] she smiled brightly.

The others all replied with their names slowly, someone brought up her popularity due to her father and the business. As it was revealed, some were surprised, having not known that the daughter of Carter Hille was a magician, and a shape shifter no less.

[B]"So, who are we waiting for?"[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#4B5B5B]There were mixed feelings behind Amelia?s encounter with her mother. She felt awkward, as if this woman was someone was off-limits yet at the same time it only felt natural to call her by her first name and act as if they were acquaintances. If her father knew with whom she had a run-in with, she?d never hear the end of it and hopefully he won?t know?for now.

Stepping into her house Amelia?s phone had beeped, letting her know that she had received a new message. Looking at her PDA there was an e-mail and a voice message left for her. Before she could even listen to her voice mail or check her e-mail, her father called her in. His voice hinted that he was agitated, as if something- or someone- caused this agitation.

[B]?Amelia, is that you??[/B] Her father?s face popped out from the study. All Amelia could do was smile as if nothing had happened, but she knew full well her father saw past her façades. Yet, he said nothing about it only, asked [B]?How was your day? Did they like the new act you added in??[/B]

Amelia looked at her father strangely before asking, [B]?Papa, what?s wrong? You never ask about my work unless you?re avoiding or hiding something from me.?[/B] She stepped in a little closer, putting away her phone as she did. [B]?What is it??[/B]

Her father hesitated before he led his daughter into the living room where the answering machine was kept. His finger gently pushed the play button. Amelia wanted to ask what was so important that her father couldn?t tell her but the voice that followed after the automated voice stopped her from doing so.

[B][i]?Hey, if you?re home pick up. Amelia? Alright, when you get this message come to Central Park. There?s some urgent business we have to talk about. I?ve already called some of the?[/i] others [i]so if you can, get over here as soon as possible. You know where to reach me if you can?t.?[/B][/i]

The look in Amelia?s father?s eyes seemed disappointed but also concerned. If anything, he understood the meaning of ?urgent business? more than anyone she knew. All she could say was, [B]?Il mio padre??[/B] something she hadn?t said a few years after her mother left. He took his daughter?s hand and held it before nodding and giving her a kiss on the cheek. If she had been capable of it, tears would?ve welled up in her eyes but they both knew she wasn?t anymore. It was enough that she returned the kiss before she left hurriedly.

[center]+ + + + +[/center]

Once she was in New York, her father informed her that he had set up a hotel and would have her things sent over. She thanked him and told him she loved him- another thing she didn?t do often. Her father said the same and hung up. Sighing, Amelia put on a pair of sunglasses and waved for a cab. She told the driver to take her to Central Park; he gave her a strange look which she returned back- though not so strange, one of threat, so to speak. The driver adjusted in his seat and drove off.

Though she had just been in New York, she couldn?t get enough of the scenery. Although New York was made up of mainly tall buildings, lights, and whatnot it appealed to her the way antique buildings, stars, and complete opposites of New York did. She merely gazed and admired, taking mental pictures of everything she saw.

Amelia paid the driver and told him to keep the change once they arrived at Central Park. It wasn?t hard for her to find the other Magicians as they were huddled around one particular bench. One of them looked up and tensed but relaxed when he realized she had seen her face before. When Amelia got closer to the group, more turned and tensed but relaxed; whatever it was that made them this way even made Mugen- who had once performed with Amelia- feel the same intense emotion.

[B]?Well, don?t we all look suspicious??[/B] A sly grin made her look like the Cheshire Cat. Mugen then knew most of her hadn?t changed.[/size][/color]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1]Ivy fumbled for her keys as she juggled her laptop under one arm. She eventually managed to open the door and almost fell into her apartment, tripping over a slight rise in the floor. She maneuvered her foot behind her and slammed the door shut without looking back. Stripping off her hooded jacket she placed her lap top on her frosted glass table and opened the lid. The computer did nothing however. Ivy cursed herself as she looked around. Using her powers must have totaled its circuitry.

Her apartment was rather large, the furnishings mostly made from wood, glass or metal. It was lit dimly with natural gray light filtering in from large windows on one side. Her shoes squeaked as she made her way over to her black leather couch. It was still drizzling out side; she smiled and wished the weather would escalate into a thunderstorm, though that wasn?t very likely.

Ivy was still a little shaken by her encounter with the cloaked character. She had not so openly used her powers in quite a while. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her and bent over in an attempt to push her late lunch back down. Small blots still crackled in between strands of her hair. Ivy?s yellow tinted eyes scanned her apartment for something to take her mind off her somersaulting stomach.

She saw something in the corner of her eye, and flicked her head around to investigate. Ivy noticed her answering machine was blinking red, twice in quick succession. She fumbled around in a side-table draw for a pair of unusual looking leather gloves before turning back to the answering machine. Reaching over she hit the button and it clicked to play the messages.

[I][B]?You have two new messages, one urgent...?[/B][/I] The automated female voice announced. Ivy?s brow furrowed in thought at the machine. What could be so urgent?

[B]?Hi, Ivy its John, Did you want to meet up some time for lunch? or dinner? Ring me back when you get this message. Oh and thanks for fixing my computer, it works great...Bye.?[/B] Ivy smiled and giggled slightly, John sounded like an excited little school boy. She would have to ring him back later. The machine clicked over once more and began playing the next message.

[B]?Ivy? You know who this is. If you get this message, I?m trying to gather everyone. Meet at central park noon tomorrow. Oh and Ivy, [I]do try[/I] to be on time.? [/B] Ivy?s brow furrowed as the message ended, she hit the re-play button on the machine. Her lips parted into a slight smile as she pinned a named to the somewhat familiar voice. [I]Mugen[/I], it had to be him.

[CENTER]+ + + + + +[/CENTER]

Ivy arrived at central park well past noon. As she scanned the park her eyes fell on gathering of individuals. She sheepishly began to walk over to everyone, looking each over each individual as she approached. Ivy smiled apologetically, scratching the back of her head as she tapped Mugen on the shoulder.

[B]?Sorry I?m late. Last one to arrive as? usual.? [/B][/SIZE]

[Allamorph]

[size=1]As the summoned Magicians continued to arrive, Darius' expression gradually became more and more strained. He had expected to see a few old friends, sure, but this, this was unsettling.

There were a couple of fresh faces, of course: he had never seen young Ms. Landry before; Cameron he had heard rumors of, but hadn't known she was actually a shapeshifter; and Xavier he simply couldn't place. Of course, Nikki was the only one of the three who seemed at all nervous, and at sixteen she was a time witch to boot, so they each had to be fairly strong, and Darius wasn't worried.

The others he knew, and the fact that they were all present was what made him nervous. LeCrosse and Ivy he had worked with before, and he had seen Albrecht Himmler in action?nasty fellow (Darius meant it as a complement), especially with his doppelgangers, and good to have in a fight. And of course he knew of Amelia. It was rather ironic that he had been contemplating the scarcity of dark Magicians just this morning, and here she was.

That they were all big guns was what they had in common, and Mugen was no pansy either; in fact, he was quite possibly stronger than any of them. To gather this many heavy hitters within forty-eight hours was no mean feat, and it could only mean that Mugen Shisa was badly spooked. Darius leaned against a nearby tree and waited tensely for the qi master to kick things off.[/size]

[Zen]

[color=darkred][size=1]


After the few pleasantries and greetings, Mugen got straight to business. He gathered the disorganized group into a circle and surveyed their eyes carefully, each and everyone. The outsider?s point of view was a strange one, a small mob of colorful characters, some famous, other?s little more than obscure gathered in a small huddle, whispering something of importance. Mugen himself spoke broadly to each of them, however his words seemed to reach the individuals on a personal level.

[b] ?Listen guys, I?m no leader, that?s why I called you all. I needed help from people I could trust.?[/b] Mugen gazed into their faces again. [b] ?Seeing as how each of you already know the present situation, we can skip the formalities and briefings. Who ever the hell these guys are, their obviously hunting down magicians, right??[/b]

The lot of them nodded in agreement, Albrecht adding a short [b] ?Ja, ja...?[/b].

LeCrosse stepped up and spoke out, [b] ?So th?n we kno? who we shoul? be lookin? for... our kind.... other magicians.?[/b]

[b] ?I have plenty of connections in the city.?[/b] Xavier?s baritone rumbled in unexpectedly. [b] ?Luckily for us, Broadway is a haven for magic users. Not to mention the constant flow of immigrants from countries where magicians are considered ?undesirables?. We can find just about all of them in the city.?[/b]

[b] ?So you?re saying you know every magician in NYC personally??[/b] Nikki interrupted with skepticism.

[b] ?No, that?s not what I?m saying. But I know how to find them, every person here should know at least a hand full of magicians. Mugen obviously did the best thing by contacting the one?s he knew first. This means that we can contact the other one?s we know, like a web of association.?[/b] He brought his hands out, and held them in the air in front of him. [b] ?We can prevent others from falling into this... mysterious figure?s trap, and then we?ll have a small following to help us.?[/b]

[b] ?Wha? if our contacts are already turned??[/b] LeCrosse came questioned.

[b] ?Then we just killed two birds with one stone. We eliminate threats and gather our resources.?[/b]

[b] ?You mean we....[/b] Cameron stopped, hesitating to finish the undeniable, awful truth.

[b] ?It?s the only way. Our only choice.?[/b] Mugen came back in, his face stern now. There was a short silence, solemn and quiet.

A deep German accent broke the uncomfortable pause, [b] ?My friend, I?m afraid I know very little of the people in this city. As you can tell I?m obviously not from around here...?[/b] Albrecht laughed in his hesitant confession.

Darius brightened up and came in loudly, his animated tone catching everyone?s ear. [b] ?I know plenty... don?t worry, I can probably make up for three people if I needed to, haha.?[/b]

[b] ?I only know a few... you gotta remember I?m still a teenager.?[/b] Nikki added.

[b] ?Don?t sell yourself short Nikki. You knew me, after all.?[/b] Mugen looked to her, attempting to calm her obvious discomfort in the group.

[b] ?Yeah, but our connections aren?t exactly a happy one...?[/b]

[b] ?Hey, hey, hey!?[/b] Amelia burst in as she began to talk with her hands. [b] ?Why don?t we just get to work. Mr... smart-stuff has a good plan. We just gotta put it into action.?[/b]

[b] ?So what, do we split up then??[/b] Cameron whispered in.

[b] ?That wouldn?t be smart, seeing as how we could risk being attacked individually, again.?[/b] Ivy spoke out as a voice of reason.

[b] ?So zen ve vork as un group??[/b] Albrecht said almost jovially.

Mugen brought his head back for a moment, and then came back down. All eyes on him, he spoke in a false reassurance. [b] ?That?s our best bet... so know we gotta start somewhere.?[/b] Mugen looked to Xavier, the man with the plan. [b] ?So where do [I]you[/I] think we should start looking??[/b] [/color][/size]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]Mugen brought his head back for a moment, and then came back down. All eyes on him, he spoke in a false reassurance. [b]?That?s our best bet... so know we gotta start somewhere.?[/b] Mugen looked to Xavier, the man with the plan. [b]?So where do you think we should start looking??[/b]

Xavier turned his head subtly to the left, taking note of the increased pedestrian traffic in the park. It was past rush hour already, but things got pretty busy in Manhatten during the later primetime hours as well. This effected Xavier's decision significantly, as he was about to suggest the closest place they could reach by foot. It was then that an alternative method hit him.

[b]"Ms Hille, I can surmise from your entrance that your capabilities involve being able to shapeshift?"[/b]

[b]"Huh? How do you know my name?"[/b] Cammy asked, a bit surprised since she was dressed somewhat incognito.

[b]"I'm aware of most of you in certain respects, though a few of you I know very little about."[/b] Xavier responded, rather cryptically.

[b]"Aware? What do you mean by that?"[/b] Amelia asked, placing her hands on her hips.

[b]"Xavier works in a...well, it's a specialty shop of sorts."[/b] Mugen replied, remembering his first meeting with Xavier a few years back.

[b]"It's like how I explained the networking system between magicians in New York. A lot of information runs through my store and those who visit it. Not to mention someone like the daughter of Carter Hille isn't exactly the most obscure person to find out about. Granted I do not know the full extent of your ability."[/b] Xavier explained.

[b]"Well...I can transform pretty much into anything I can imagine...at least I've been able to transform into anything I've meant to thus far anyway."[/b] Cammy replied, a bit unsure of how to explain herself.

[b]"Hm, I think I know where this guy's getting at. Quick and easy transportation right?"[/b] Darius added in.

[b]"Wait, if Cameron changed into something and paraded us around in the middle of a giant city like New York we're bound to create a scene."[/b] Ivy said in a concerned tone.

[b]"It's fine. I can handle that with my own abilities."[/b] Xavier said, walking over to Cammy.

[b]"Oh? Und vat iz your power?"[/b] Albrecht inquired.

[b]"I'll show you, but first could you please hand me that bucket of water next to you, Cameron?"[/b] Xavier asked, leaving everyone else wondering if Xavier was all there upstairs.

[b]"Bucket of...? What are you talking about..."[/b] Cammy started to say before she turned her head and indeed saw a bucket of water next to her feet. She stepped back quickly a bit startled, especially since she would have known if she were standing that close to something.

[b]"What'n the...I know dat wasn' dere before."[/b] LeCrosse said, perplexed..

Cammy bent down to pick it up, but as soon as she wrapped her hands around the handle the bucket dissapeared along with the water inside.

[b]"Do you understand now? If you can provide a large enough transport for all of us, I can mask us behind a simple illusion of the current appearence of the sky."[/b] Xavier explained, nodding slightly to Cammy.

[b]"I'll be...that must be pretty handy."[/b] Ivy exclaimed, grinning toward Xavier.

[b]"Alright, so where are we going?"[/b] Mugen asked.

[b]"As I said earlier, Broadway is one of the places where we can find the most ample assisstance. We'll be looking for a certain man, his name is Joseph Crowley."[/b]

[b]"Is he...a magician like us?"[/b] Nikki asked, a bit overwhelmed by how much was already being discovered.

[b]"Yes, you could say that. But not by our standards, he has a show on a 46th street theater house. He's rather skilled in the art of simplistic illusion, such as hiding a rabbit in a hat and other such nonsense. But his real value comes from his connections as well. He introduced me to a few magicians before, but I don't remember where we can find them. We'll have to ask Joseph."[/b] Xavier explained as he pocketed his glasses.

[b]"Alright then, I hope nobody here gets air sick."[/b] Cammy said as she stretched herself out, though it seemed irrelavent to the process of transformation.

[b]"Hmph, I kind of wish we could be doing this during better circumstances. I wouldn't mind a tour of New York City by air."[/b] Amelia stated.

Xavier nodded to Cammy, signaling that it was safe to transform. The others looked around them and noticed no real change in the atomsphere, but realized that it probably looked quite different from the outside. Cammy concentrated and transformed herself into a rather large feathered bird, a white glamorous looking bird with long golden feathers at it's head.

[b]"How amazing, iz quite impressive young lady""[/b] Albrecht said, walking closer to the bird. Cammy lowered herself and allowed the others to climb on board.

[b]"Man, some of you guys are pretty heavy!"[/b] Cammy exclaimed after having Xavier, Mugen, Nikki, and LeCrosse on her back. The rest started to climb on, Ivy the last one left.

[b]"Uh, you guys don't mind if I'm in front do you? I'd feel a little more comfortable having the neck to hold on to."[/b] she said, starting to climb her way toward the front. Her foot planted a bit hard under Cammy's wing causing her to wince a bit. Ivy slipped a bit from the movement and started to fall before Xavier reached down and grabbed her arm.

[b]"Heh, sorry about that Cameron. I guess it was my fault"[/b] Ivy said, a bit embarrased.

[b]"It's fine, as long as we don't have far to go."[/b] Cammy said, just a tad bit anxious to get everyone of her back sooner rather than later. Xavier pulled Ivy up and she seated herself infront of him.

[b]"Thanks to you to, Xavier."[/b] Ivy said, her head turned slightly so she could see him out of her peripheral.

[b]"Not a problem. Alright, Cammy...follow 7th avenue about 15 blocks south, then turn left on 46th street. I'll show you where to land, there's a large parking garage on the corner of West Broadway. We can land on the roof and take the stairs down to the ground level."[/b] Xavier explained, making motions with his hands.

[b]"Alright, everyone hold on!"[/b] Cammy said as she began to take off.

[b][i]'I just hope this goes as smoothly as it sounds, but if we DO get attacked again...there's no way we can fail all together.'[/i][/b] Mugen thought to himself as they glided through the brisk air of Manhatten.[/FONT][/color]

[Blayze]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]LeCrosse sighed as the wind blew through his hair. When he woke up this morning, this was definitely not how he had planned to spend the rest of his day. Playing card tricks on tourists, eating, sleeping, maybe, but flying on the back of another Magician above New York City with some kind of illusion (no one was quite sure what kind of illusion Xavier had set up around them) wrapped around them, disguising them from the pbulic, definitely not.

But it was nice to be around magic users again - it had been a good few years since the last time so many of them had gathered. But while this was comforting, to be around others who were like him, he knew that the only reason they were gathered was because something was stirring, some dark force that could threaten their existence. He closed his eyes, and began to meditate as he had found himself doing so much more frequently now, finding himself almost leaving his body.

[b]"LeCrosse," [/b]shouted a voice over the rushing air that whipped around them, breaking LeCrosse out of his trance, [b]"Any chance you could do anything about all this wind?" [/b]asked Xavier.

[b]"Wha' makes you t'ink I can do anyt'in'?" [/b]replied LeCrosse, a little frustrated that Xavier had interrupted his meditation.

[b]"You're a telekinetic, right?" [/b]he said, [b]"Well, surely you can set up a field of some kind that won't allow the wind through?"

"'Round all o' us?" [/b]said LeCrosse, somewhat disbelievingly, [b]"All us Magician's an' the bird?"

"It shouldn't be too much of a problem for someone with your...skills," [/b]said Xavier.

[b]"I'll see wha' I can do," [/b]replied LeCrosse, and summoned every drop of power that lay within him, channeling it into his hands, which he threw up above his head, and felt a telekinetic shield wrapping itself around the illusion that Xavier had set up.

[b]"Careful," [/b]LeCrosse heard Mugen saying to Xavier, [b]"With all this magical energy surrounding us, we're going to be like a beacon to any magical beings who want to attack us. Cammy's shapeshifting, plus your illusions, and now LeCrosse's psionic field, it all adds up to a lot of magic flying around us. Just...be careful."

"It'll be fine," [/b]said LeCrosse, turning to talk to Mugen and Xavier, [b]"I jus' added a li'l extra lift to Cammy's bird. Should help her ta keep us all up in de air for de time bein'."

[/b]LeCrosse sat back down, not totally reassured by his own comments. Whoever was trying to take them down had access to the kind of people who could track them through their magic, and now they were lit up like a Christmas tree. He just hoped they had enough time before they were attacked again...
[/font]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]Albrecht was sat near Cammy's tail end, happy to have volunteered for the position seeing as he wasn't bothered by heights. He was just...trying not to think about what was happening. Crazy shit happened around him all the time, and this was crazy shit that wasn't trying to kill him. Just yet, anyway. Besides, it was nice to feel the wind in his hair.

[B]"Um, Mugen~?"[/B] he shouted, sounding far too jovial for the other travellers likes, [B]"My bags, I had to leave zem behind. I do hope zat you realise I'm going to charge you for everyzing zat vas in der, ja?"[/B]

Mugen visibly winced and turned his face away from the eager German, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. [B]"Just make sure you don't fall off, eh? Albrecht?"[/B]

[B]"Ja, ja, zat vould be un very bad idea indeed."[/B] He just grinned and took in the sights, one hand clutching at Cammy's soft feathers while the other rested on top of his hat. He liked this cap, despite its threatening appearance, and he didn't want to lose it any time soon.

He spotted Xavier, who was near to Cammy's head, leaning down to whisper something to her. She nodded and appeared to start descending, the gigantic forms of the surrounding buildings getting closer and closer to the group. Albrecht glanced down to ground level where he could now see properly the features of people below, leaning forward over Amelia's shoulder, who was seated in front of him. Pressing his chest against her back he managed to keep himself steady, using the hand previously holding onto Cammy to produce a black, velvety rose. He passed it to the gothic looking woman, leering only slightly.

[B]"I'm so pleased to be travelling with a voman such as you, liebschen. I do hope zat ve get to know more about each other.?[/B]


[B]OOC Because we need at least [I]one [/I] pervert. :3

Left it kinda open-ended because I don?t know what is planned to happen next when we land.[/B][/SIZE]

[Kitty]

[size=1][indent]Nikki felt overwhelmed. She hadn't been in the presence of other magicians since the day her sister was buried, and here she was, flying [i]on[/i] one of them, riding with six others, heading somewhere they were bound to meet even more, and surely would be using their powers. She had always been good at keeping calm and cool, but today her fear and anxiety oozed out of her, cementing itself into a constant expression on her face that told everyone what she didn't want them to know.

The large bird that was Cameron underneath her legs was only about a year older than her, but she seemed perfectly content flying above Manhattan. It both amazed and infuriated her, mad at herself for not being able to control herself like the only other person around her age. Xavier was hiding the group of them with his powers, which Nikki didn't fully understand but admired all the same. And then the mysterious LeCrosse added his telekinetic shield around all of them to keep the strong wind from nipping at them as they traveled through the sky.

Nikki was only familiar with Mugen, and had sat close behind him as they headed towards the theater house. As her worries and anxieties flooded her mind, she found herself clinging tightly to both Cameron's feathers, and the back of his jacket. Darius, who was peacefully admiring the buildings below, noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder that startled her. Her restlessness seemed to amuse him, as he let out a small chuckle before she gave him a glare. Though he stopped his laughing, he still had a smile when he leaned forward.

[b]?Relax, kid. We're almost there.?[/b]

Though she kept glaring at him until he let go of her and turned back to the cement and metal below, she reluctantly released Mugen's clothing and loosened her grip on Cameron's feathers. The rest of the trip was fairly unexciting in her opinion. She had resorted to fiddling with her newly acquired necklace to ease her nerves.

[b]?There it is,?[/b] she heard Xavier mention to Mugen. Looking from the older man in front to the building below that he pointed to, she felt her heartbeat quicken. Despite the calming feeling she got when she used her powers or felt the others use theirs, she couldn't help but feel alarmed as they descended. She knew that she would end up using her powers when they met with this man Xavier wanted to get information from.

[b]?This will be interesting,?[/b] she muttered to herself.[/indent][/size]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#4B5B5B]Amelia looked on as she admired the beauty of the city below. There was nothing more grand to her than being able to see a city such as New York City. As she took in the skyscrapers and sounds, Amelia felt Albrecht press against her back as he looked down below. As if she were used to this sort of situation, Amelia did nothing but stay as she was, looking down below. From the corner of her eye, Amelia saw a spot of black. She turned to see a black rose being handed to her. Looking up at Albrecht, he had a sort of twinkle in his eye as said, [B]?I?m so pleased to be traveling with a voman such as you, liebschen. I do hope zat ve get to know more about each other.?[/B]

Looking at the rose, then Albrecht, Amelia took the flower into her hand and felt its velvet petals. She smiled and replied, [B]?As do I, Hexenmeister.?[/B] A deviant look formed against the once troubled face of Amelia as her finger touched the smooth petals. She had received flowers that varied in bright colors- all of which she was grateful for- but never felt drawn towards them the way white and black colored flowers did. Unconsciously, she lifted the rose to her face and smelt its sweet scent. For a strange reason, she didn?t have the compelling notion to destroy the flower, only to preserve it even though the entirety of the flower reminded her of her abrupt encounter with her mother- no, not mother any longer?with that woman.

The Italian girl noticed Xavier mutter something to Mugen, he apparently said something like, [B]?There it is, we?re here.?[/B] It only meant that we?ve come to the place that the Illusionist was talking about. Amelia adjusted herself and hid the flower away in a place where it would be safe. She smirked as tiny glints of amusement and desire flooded her eyes. She then felt a hand on her shoulder and knew it belonged to Albrecht, the German gentleman sitting behind her.

[B]?I believe it is time to meet this mystery man of Herr Xavier.?[/B]

All Amelia could do was smirk and watch as Cameron descended to the ground all with one thought on her mind. [B]?It?s only a matter of time before I get to you, Miranda, it?s only a matter of time.?[/B][/size][/color]

[Zen]

[color=darkred][size=1]


As Cameron descended towards the ground, Xavier began concentrating. His eyes shutting, he placed his hands in a strange position before his body and strange feelings of shifting wind and condensation surrounded Mugen. Cameron shouted aloud to the group through her bird?s beak [b] ?Get ready to land on your feet!?[/b] The warning was barely realized before she quickly shape-shifted back into her normal form, causing everyone on her back to land hard onto the pavement. Mugen, Xavier, and LeCrosse were the only ones to land on their feet, the rest fell into a slight heap on the concrete.

A few cries of anger and annoyance passed through the group who had fallen, but were ignored by Xavier and Mugen. The two gazed up towards the bright-colored building before them, a large Victorian-style theatre decorated with modern neon-lights.

Mugen spoke off to the side, [b] ?Joseph Crowley was it??[/b]

[b] ?Yes, he?s a head liner here...?[/b] Xavier motioned to the large sign, indicating the words ?Master of Illusion, Master Crowley!?.

LeCrosse stepped up with an interested smirk, [b] ?Le?s get to it, the?.?[/b] He stepped smoothly up to the large door way, barely touching the enormous entrance. Mystifyingly, it swung open with ease, he held it back to allow the others in. [b] ?Come nah. Come...?[/b] Xavier nodded seriously and stepped forward. Mugen, wearing a smirk, turned towards the remaining magicians, motioning them inside. They entered in almost single file, save Albrecht and Amelia, who followed side by side, holding some amusing conversation. Mugen was the last to enter, LeCrosse pealing off the door beside him.

[b] ?So, Mu?en...?[/b] Mugen laughed at LeCrosse?s pronunciation of his name, [b] ?Wha? good do ya be thinkin? a human wi? be ta us??[/b]

[b] ?I?m not completely sure, but I trust Xavier. He knows the city better than anyone else here. Inside and out, he?s got the best connections we could hope for...?[/b] Mugen shugged to his Cajun friend.

[b] ?So tha? mean???[/b] LeCrosse retorted with a cocked eyebrow.

[b] ?I guess we?ll see.?[/b] The group followed Xavier, snaking around cast and crew men in the theater unnoticed. It soon became apparent to Mugen that Xavier must have cast some invisible illusion around them. The group of magicians soon found themselves in the back stage area, surrounded by murky hallways and bustling dressing rooms. The group?s line soon became congested and haulted at a single door. Xavier opened it slowly, peeking in.

[b] ?Dear God....?[/b] Xavier muttered in utter horror.

[b] ?What is it??[/b] Nikkie stepped in through the crowd and stopped in her tracks, letting out a shrill screech. Mugen and LeCrosse exchanged concerned looks and pushed through the group and into the room. Xavier stood still, holding Nikki?s crying head in his chest, his left hand covering his own mouth.

The pair gazed across the room, despair and disgust replacing concerned expressions. The figure of a former human being lay huddled against the wall. A large puddle of blood sit beneath a man dressed in a black suit, stains of crimson splattered behind him. His skin now a paper-white, black patches covering it?s paleness. His face was distorted and inhuman. For a moment, Mugen couldn?t react.

[b] ?Thi? ain?t no good...?[/b] LeCrosse whispered to himself, looking at the wall in front of him. Mugen?s eyes followed his and saw what he was gazing upon. Written in strokes of blood, the words were spelled out in a streaking font...


[center][b][size=2]Join Us Or Die[/size][/b][/color][/size]



*********************************

[i]Chapter 1 End[/I]


[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/PicKitty/TheMagicianspromosplash.png[/img]


[b][u][size=2]Chapter 2:[/b] Rolling Up The Sleeves[/u] [/center][/size]

[color=black][size=1]

[b]OOC:[/b] Alright then, this is the beginning of the second chapter. It has been revealed that the dark magicians are not beyond murder to get what they want. Aswell, they know that our group has formed. Where do we go from here? It's up to you guys...[/size][/color]

[Allamorph]

[size=1]On the way through the theatre, Darius had fallen casually to the back of the group. The instant LeCrosse had opened the building?s door a sick feeling of unease had entered his stomach, and it had been gnawing at him ever since. Darius? eyes had scanned continuously left and right behind his shades, which he had declined to remove, looking for anything wrong, anything out of place, anything that wasn?t as it should have been.

They?d found it, all right.[/size]

[center][COLOR=DarkRed][I][B]Join Us Or Die[/B][/I][/COLOR][/center]


[size=1]From the looks of the strokes, the writer had used two fingers dipped in most likely the victim?s own blood to spell out the ghastly slogan. Darius noticed a small droplet of blood forming at the bottom of one of the ?i?s, meaning that it was still fairly fresh, and that the murder had not taken place too long before their arrival. Combined with the grotesque dead husk of a body on the floor, the scene caused the nausea churning in Darius? stomach to spread upwards, and his tongue stuck thickly in the back of his throat. It appeared that poor Nikki was hit hardest out of all of them; he was glad for Xavier?s gentlemanliness and presence of mind.

[B]?Madre del dio.?[/B]

The breathed expression of appalled disgust from Amelia, just in front of him, barely reached his ears. Darius felt she had summed up the situation as acutely as possible; the phrase had drifted through is own mind, albeit in Spanish, and he felt a sudden burst of kinship with the dark Magician. [I]?Madre de Dio, indeed,[/I] he thought in revulsion.

Her whisper had brought him back to reality, and while the others stood rooted in front of the horrifying scene, Darius slipped away and headed for the main lobby. The person or thing responsible might still have been in the building, and Darius wanted to at least see something before the killer got completely away. He moved smoothly, his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket, his body projecting a false aura of calm and relaxation, his face barely registering the gruesome scene he had just witnessed. His eyes darted now behind the cover of his sunglasses, his head turning slowly every few seconds, letting nothing escape from his field of vision.

When he entered the lobby, he stood still for a moment, getting his bearings around the mass of people that wouldn?t know of their show?s unfortunate cancellation for probably another twenty minutes. Not that Darius was complaining?it was much easier to lose someone, or something, in a crowd of panicked people.

A brief flash of black to his left caught his attention; he turned and saw a retreating figure wearing a black mantle similar to the one his housebreaker had been dressed in. The figure wove easily between the human traffic, apparently intent on escaping out one of the building?s side doors. Darius moved after it, adding a touch of purpose to his stride. As expected, most of the crowd veered around him, and he was only forced to dodge a select, inattentive few. He quickened his pace, attempting to close the gap.

The figure glanced backwards for an instant, then abruptly changed its speed. It must have sensed Darius following it; Darius took his hands out of his jacket and followed suit, careful not to lose track of his target. The figure kept moving faster, and turned sharply down a hallway to its left. Darius gained the hall quickly, in time to see the bottom of the figure?s cloak disappear down another passage; he rounded the corner and was rewarded with the sight of an exit swinging shut. Darius cursed and ran for the door, bursting through it into an alley beside the theatre.

The door was slammed shut and a black arm swung towards his face; his jiu-jitsu training kicked in and he absorbed the punch with his hands, using the figure?s momentum to swing it around and into the alley?s wall. Darius threw his left arm across the figure?s chest and leaned heavily on it, pinning it to the bricks behind it. He threw the figure?s hood back to get a clear look at his victim?s face.

The figure was male, short and unremarkable in stature, with thick, greasy black hair and eyebrows, a short, squashed nose, and pallid white skin. His dark eyes glittered nervously, and his mouth was curved into a simpering smile. Pale white hands scrabbled at Darius? arm in an attempt to free their owner. Darius felt his nausea returning.

[B]?He didn?t wish to join the Master,?[/B] the repugnant creature said immediately in a thin, edgy voice. [B]?He had to die, and, and?so will you.?[/B]

Darius raised his eyebrows. [B]?Well, then, you admit you killed mister Crowley? I hadn?t even got to the part where I asked what you were doing here, but that?s fine with me.?[/B] He leaned in closer. [B]?Since we don?t have to waste our time with [I]those[/I] questions, maybe you can tell me a little about this ?master? of yours.?[/B] The fingers on Darius? right hand performed the air-quote sign in front of the little man?s face.

The man?s head twisted frantically to either side, no doubt looking for a means of escape.

[B]?He?he is the Master. We are not allowed to speak of him any other way. He is the Master and we serve him.?[/B]

Darius sighed tiredly. His right hand slipped into his leather jacket and brought out a single match. [B]?That?s a terrible answer,?[/B] he said, affecting a bored tone. The match head flared to life. [B]?Let?s try that again.?[/B] He let his left arm slide up the man?s chest until he had the murderer pinned by the throat. The match flame rose a few inches in the air, and Darius dropped the burnt stick to the ground. [B]?I understand that you serve this ?master?,[/B] again he made the air-quote, [B]?but I want a little more than that. What does this ?master?? ?[/B] air-quote [B]??do? What does he want? Why does he want us as associates? Who is he??[/B]

The man was struggling for breath, his eyes clearly panicked, but he shook his head furiously from side to side. Darius looked at him questioningly.

[B]?Sure you don?t want to answer??[/B] He moved his fingers, and the flame crept closer to the man?s face. The man shook his head frenziedly. A fierce grin spread over Darius? face. [B]?Really? Oh well.?[/B] The flame had stopped just under the man?s nose. [B]?At least I can repay you for your services here.?[/B] He released the pressure from his left arm; the dark man gasped a deep lungful of air. Darius flicked his fingers.

The man crumpled screaming to the ground, his breath coming in great, useless heaves as he desperately tried not to suffocate. Darius? fire had scorched down the killer?s throat, searing his lungs, and his alveoli were damaged with third-degree burns, or so Darius speculated. He watched unremorsefully as the pathetic creature writhed on the concrete; he didn?t so much as move until the man died, which was a slow and probably agonizing process. Darius felt somewhat vindicated by the spectacle. His fierce grin had become a snarl, and he spat contemptuously on the corpse before venturing back inside the theatre to rejoin the others.[/size]

[FONT=Arial][center]------------------------------------------------[/center]

[indent][B]OOC:[/B] Darius is not nice when he's angry. Not nice at all.

[B]EDIT:[/B] Oh, and this piddly little dead man obviously isn't one of the higher-ups.[/FONT][/indent]

[Blayze]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]LeCrosse had seen some murders in his time, but this was something else. This man had been killed so horrifically that LeCrosse was almost feeling the urge to throw up rising from the pit of his stomach.

[b]"Dey...dey killed him jus' 'cause he was gonna help us?" [/b]he stuttered, [b]"Wha' kin' o' monsters are dese people?"

[/b]LeCrosse noticed Darius slip off, and moved to the back of the room, subtly opening the door a little and slipping out himself. Darius had seemed a little shaken up by the corpse, and LeCrosse took it upon himself to make sure he was ok. He weaved through the cast and crew of the show, who were still apparently oblivious to what had happened backstage, following the streak of dark leather that was Darius outside into the alley. LeCrosse hopped up a flight of stairs, and popped a window open with the deftness of a thief. Swinging himself onto the fire escape, he watched Darius catch up with a dark-cloaked man in the alley.

There was a brief confrontation, most of which LeCrosse couldn't hear, but he watched, horrified, as Darius burnt the man's lungs out, and walked away slowly. As his fellow Magician left the scene, LeCrosse dropped down to the floor, landing with a strange acrobatic grace, and knelt down next to the corpse.

[b][i]This ain' somet'in' one o' us should be doin', [/i][/b]thought LeCrosse, [i][b]There's somet'in' wrong wi' Darius, dat's for sure.

[/b][/i]He grabbed the body under the shoulders, and dragged it into the darkness deeper within the alley, hiding it. Police probably wouldn't find it for weeks now, they barely ever came around here any more, so Darius was safe for now. He piled garbage bags and cans around the corpse, hoping that the flimsy disguise would last for a little while. Then he sprinted out of the alley after Darius.

He saw the Magician as he was heading through the lobby, back to where Crowley had been murdered. LeCrosse followed him through the throng of people, before grabbing the man himself and swinging him into a side room.

Darius struggled, but LeCrosse pumped a little of his telekinesis into his arm muscles, strengthening them slightly. This was a trick he had learned fairly recently, and he was nowhere near increasing his strength to any important degree, but in situations like this it was perfect. LeCrosse held Darius to the wall and looked deep into the man's eyes.

[b]"Wha' de hell was tha'?" [/b]LeCrosse hissed, [b]"You killed tha' guy for no good reason!"

"He was the one who killed Crowley, you cretin," [/b]spat Darius, [b]"He hadn't managed to escape from the scene yet, and I was trying to apprehend him. When I managed to track him down, he wasn't answering my questions, so I had to kill him."

"Tha's one weak argumen' for killin' a man, Darius," [/b]LeCrosse replied, [b]"You killed him 'cause he wasn' answerin' your questions?"

"He's a Dark Magician, LeCrosse. He would have come back with dozens of others, just to hunt us down. I've saved us, for now."

"You saved us? Darius, don' you t'ink dat dere's others aroun'? If no' here, den somewhere close by. Someone will have realised you killed him, and dey won' be happy 'bout i'."

"He deserved to die. He killed an innocent, in cold blood, for no good reason."

"And dat makes it ok for you to kill him in return? If you killed him for revenge, Darius, dat makes you no better dan those Dark Magicians."

"I am nothing like them!" [/b]Darius snarled, [b]"They are evil. I am not."

"One man's hero is another man's villain, Darius. Jus' bear dat in mind nex' time you decide someone don' deserve to live." [/b]LeCrosse released his hold on Darius, rubbing his bicep to relieve the muscle pain that seemed to accompany the use of that particular skill. He looked Darius up and down with disdain, and then walked out of the room to find the others.

Darius followed him out of the door, and the two of them ran into Mugen and the rest of the party walking through the lobby.

[b]"LeCrosse, Darius, we were just about to come and look for you. We didn't know where you went," [/b]said Mugen.

[b]"Well, we're here," [/b]said LeCrosse.

[b]"What have you been doing?" [/b]asked Xavier, looking suspiciously at Darius, who was rubbing his chest where LeCrosse had been gripping him.

[b]"Not'in'," [/b]said LeCrosse, immediately covering for Darius, [b]"We t'ought we'd found somet'in' dat migh' help us, bu' i' turned ou' to be not'in'."

"Well, we're just leaving. The crew should find Crowley soon enough. It's up to them now," [/b]said Mugen, walking out of the theatre, the rest of the group following him.

[b]"Make no mistake," [/b]said LeCrosse to Darius as he went to leave, [b]"I covered for you dis time 'cause we're teammates now. I ever see you doin' anyt'in' like dat again, I ain' coverin' for ya. Savvy?"

"Whatever," [/b]said Darius, walking swiftly away from the Cajun. LeCrosse sighed, and walked out, shaking his head.

[b]"Officer! That's him!" [/b]cried a voice from behind him, [b]"That's the man who killed Crowley!"

[/b]LeCrosse spun around just in time to see a group of police officers striding towards him across the lobby, their hands reaching for their handguns.

[b]"Merde," [/b]said LeCrosse under his breath, his hand reaching towards the ticket stall.

[b]"Put your hands behind your head, sir," [/b]shouted one of the police officers, [b]"Do not attempt any resistance." [/b]Now they were aiming at him. Brilliant.

[b]"Sorry, officer, bu' I ain' in de mood for gettin' caugh' tonigh'," [/b]said LeCrosse with a heart-warming smile, as he ripped the ticket stall out of the ground and hurled it towards the police officers. They ducked as it rolled over them, and as they turned, they opened fire on LeCrosse, bullets slamming into his chest and torso, knocking him to the floor in a shower of blood...

[/font][center]---

[left][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][b]"Nice illusion," [/b]LeCrosse said to his Xavier, a man he had never expected to be his saviour, as they ran down the street...[/font]
[/left]
[/center]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma]OOC: Had something posted before I saw Blayze post his, but after reading it I see all i really gotta do it fix mine up a bit, so reposting :P.

[center]* * * * *[/center]

[color=darkslategray]
The blood still ran moist, a couple of minutes earlier and they might have been able to seen the killer, or perhaps even have gotten there before the killer and stopped him.

Xavier stood there with Nikki in his arms as she pressed her face up against his jacket. He could sense everyone else's disgust just as clearly, including his own. Xavier never really had a friendship of sorts with Joseph but he was never on bad terms with him either, the one thing he knew for sure was that he did not deserve this. Not only was he not a legitimate magician like he and the others in his company, but despite living a life of a simple stage act he was also an exceptionally warm-hearted man. He enjoyed entertaining people, and it was an honest life.

Xavier turned his head to Mugen who was beside him, the two locked eyes as if making an unspoken agreement that their decisions and movements from now on had to be quick and efficient. LeCrosse subtly took his leave from the group after noticing that Darius had also left. He did it quietly, so not to attract attention to himself. A voice from behind the group surprised everyone a bit, due to the mixture of the shock of the murder, and the voice itself being a scream.

[b]"Oh my god! What in the world happened here! Master Crowley! Master Crowley! Who are you all, I'm calling the cops RIGHT NOW!"[/b] the woman screamed as she took a few steps back.

[b]"Miss, you misunderstand...ve are not ze culprits."[/b] Albrecht tried to explain, but the woman wasn't listening.

Xavier poked his head out from behind everyone and widened his eyes when he saw the woman. He looked over to Ivy and called out to her. She walked over to Xavier quickly. He took Nikki and brought her out a bit from him.

[b]"How are you holding up?"[/b] Xavier asked.

[b]"I'm...i'm fine...i'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab on to you like that."[/b] the young teen said between sobs.

[b]"Please, it's fine. That isn't something your eyes should have seen anyway. I blame myself, forgive me."[/b] Xavier started to say, as he looked up toward Ivy. "Would you?"

[b]"Oh, of course!"[/b] Ivy said, as she took Nikki into her arms with her eyes still locked on Xaviers. She looked down at Nikki and knelt down to her level to try and console her. Xavier stepped out from the crowd and approached the woman sho was still shrieking at Albrecht, while he continued to try and calm her.

[b]"My god, ze vomen in zis country are loud! Madam, pleaze!"[/b] Albrecht said, getting rather annoyed by the screaming.

[b]"Tatiyana, that's enough!"[/b] came Xavier's voice from behind everyone. The young woman stopped her screaming as she peeked out and noticed Xavier's face.

[b]"X...Xavier? Is that you!? Oh my god, what happened!?"[/b] Tatiyana asked, as Xavier walked toward her.

[b]"We came to speak with Joseph, these are friends. We found him like this, you have to tell me have you seen any suspicious characters around the theater house..."[/b]

[b]"Wait, you don't think they came after him...do you? I mean It does seem to make sense since he's laying there right infront of us...but you said yourself he wasn't a magician like us, right?"[/b] Cammy asked, a bit confused.

[b]"That's right"[/b] Xavier answered.

[b]"That doesn't make sense, could they be going after informants as well?"[/b] Mugen asked aloud.

[b]"It could be, Xavier did say Crowley was well connected."[/b] Amelia chimed in.

[b]"Tatiyana, would you hurry and close the curtains to make sure nobody comes back here."[/b] Xavier asked in a demanding tone.

[b]"B..but, everyone is expecting a show in 10 minutes! Plus, what's going on here! Who killed Master Crowley!?"[/b] Tatiyana whined.

[b]"Vould you pleaze jus do it!"[/b] Albrecht said, hoping to cut off any more of the young stage hand's whining.

[b]"Alright, alright! Geez..."[/b] she said as she proceeded to close off the curtains leading to the backstage area.

Xavier walked back into the dressing room, this time much closer to the corpse then any of them have been thus far. He began rummaging around the scene, in drawers, cabinents, and the dead stage magician's pockets as well. Everyone looked on in confusion, figuring that Xavier was looking for something...they just didn't know what.

[b]"Xavier, what is it your looking for?"[/b] Mugen spoke up in a low tone.

[b]"This."[/b] Xavier said, holding up a small book that he pulled from underneathe some crumpled papers next to a fallen cabinet. [b]"It's his contact book. He usually keeps it on him but it must have been tossed about during the struggle. If these figures are after those with a knowledge of magicians like us as well, it surprises me a bit that it wasn't taken. Though it is fortunate for us."[/b]

[b]"It feels kind of messed up, taking it and all especially after what happened." [/b]Cameron exclaimed, a bit unconfidently.

[b]"Either way, it's good to have it. Even if may not seem right."[/b] Mugen explained. [b]"It probably wouldn't be a good idea to stay here...plus it looks as if we need to find Darius and LeCrosse"[/b]

[b]"Hm, they must have slipped away while we weren't paying attention. But why, what are they doing?"[/b] Xavier wondered aloud.
[/FONT][/color]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]Albrecht had only just got his head around a dead body being in the corner with a rather frightening, if cliché, message scrawled on the wall. He was suddenly being tugged along by Cammy, obviously oblivious to everyone after that frustrating woman had been yelling at him.

The group were going to find LeCrosse and Darius, and now Mugen and Xavier were well ahead of him. The German cleared his head with a shake and tapped the visor of his cap with a warm smile.

[B]"Sank you, my dear, I vasn't concentrating."[/B]

[B]"I noticed..."[/B] Cammy said softly, her skin still pale but her legs seemingly steady. Albrecht noticed her hand on his arm was also steady and was quite impressed at how she held her nerve.

He was just about to speak when LeCrosse threw a ticket stand at a police officer.

"Ack, mein Gott!" he yelled thickly, sprinting after the obviously insane Cajun, "Do you av no...no subtlety?" he asked harshly, yelling over the thunder of gunshots. He reached out behind him to grab Cammy's hand and tug her along, his longer legs carrying him a lot faster. [B]"Come on, my dear, I think zat ve should make a hasty exit."[/B]

He watched as an illusion of LeCrosse dropped dead next to him, the real LeCrosse, Xavier and a few others ducking into a side street. He pushed Cammy forward in the same direction and slowed down a little, splitting into four as soon as his feet stopped. His clones whirled around to attack the stunned police officers, providing at least a momentary break for the magicians to make their hasty, if noticeable, escape.[/SIZE]

[Sakura]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Navy]Cameron hadn't been fazed much by seeing the dead bodies. They were horrific, but at the same time she had seen these things often on the streets as she roamed with her friends. It wasn't a new experience and there was a slight pang in her heart at the thought she had gotten so used to these things that they had no major effect on her anymore. Cam had cast glances at Nikki quite often as she seemed to be the one who was effected the most, being the youngest of the group.

Cameron ran with the others as they fled from the police officers that were chasing them. Albrecht held them off with clones, giving them more time. She was bringing up the rear, with the German man just in front of her. As she ran she knew that she had to make a quick transition so they could get away and focus more on where they had to go next. Her mind was whirling, she needed something big to fit all of them, something fast, preferrably something that could fly. Before she really registered properly what was happening, she had already started transforming.

[B]"Albrecht!"[/B] she called quickly as she tried to keep running through the main part of the transfiguration.

Her clothes disappeared as white hairs replaced it, and she started running on all fours as her hands and feet became cloven hoofs. She grew in size and her entire body shape changed, sprouting a long tail, a mane, a horn, and feathery white wings.

Albrecht had turned to see what she had called him for and saw that she was undergoing change and alerted the rest of the group to the same fact. Xavier turned swiftly and cast an illusion spell on her, though they could still see her.

[B]"Get on!"[/B] she shouted to them as she galloped faster.

As she passed Albrecht, he grabbed hold of her strong neck, swinging himself up onto her back. Xavier cast the illusion on the whole group, concealing all of them as they each got onto the back of Cameron in Unicorn form. When the last member of the group got on she gave them a brief warning before spreading her large wings and taking off into the sky.

[B]"Where are we headed to next?"[/B] Cammy asked, beating her wings every now and then to keep them airborne but mainly relying on thermals and wind patterns, her legs continuing to move as if running on air.

Albrecht turned around as much as he could, but his arms remained wrapped around Cameron's neck for safety as the group discussed where their next destination would be.

Xavier and Mugen poured over the contact book, flipping pages and scanning the information on each. Suddenly Xavier stabbed his finger at the page he was looking at.

[B]"This one looks promising..."[/B][/COLOR]

[B]OOC:[/B] I left it open because I have no idea where to go ><
The post is pretty poor quality but I wanted to get one in nonetheless.[/SIZE]

[Kitty]

[size=1][indent]The smell of death permeated the air as Nikki sobbed, clutching tightly to the nearest person she had found. She was shaking, fighting hard to keep her nearly empty stomach from emptying itself further. Xavier was kind enough to comfortingly pat her head, and while it did help her feel a bit better, it mostly just embarrassed her. She hadn?t cried this hard for years, and she hated that the first people to see it were the ones she would be traveling with. No doubt they?d expect similar reactions later, and when she realized this, what little composure she was trying to retain was lost.

She hadn?t seen the message written on the wall, but she wasn?t stupid. She knew what this man?s death meant for her and the seven magicians she had come with. This ?master? person, who had tried and failed to recruit them all, was not going to take ?no? for an answer a second time. As she was passed from Xavier?s care to Ivy?s soothing, she couldn?t stop the tears that were coming as she thought about the possibility of her own brutal death.

[b]?It's alright, hush now, Nikki. It?s okay. Come on, let?s get away from this mess,?[/b] the older woman smiled, holding Nikki?s cheek in her hand and wiping at the tears as they fell. She guided the disheveled girl away from the scene and began patting her hair calmingly. Though her sobs had slowed, she was still far from calm. Deciding it best to get herself under control away from the others, she looked up at the older woman with a fake smile on her face.

[b]?I-Ivy??[/b]

[b]?Uh, yes??[/b] she replied, startled that the teen was suddenly speaking.

[b]?Thank y-you. I?m going to g-get some air.?[/b]

Without another word, she left Ivy to return to the others as a shrieking woman came towards the group of them. By the time Nikki had left, she noticed that only five of the others were still standing outside the dead man?s dressing room. As she headed towards the lit up ?Exit? sign, she noticed Darius returning through it, and a stressed looking LeCrosse following after him. She didn?t pay them much attention, continuing on past the two and through the heavy door. It led to a small alley, occupied by only a fire escape above and a dumpster and trash bags towards the end. A similar, but less potent, smell from the bloody scene inside passed through her nose.

Running for the dumpster, she pushed herself up high enough so that she had her upper body over the side, and let out what had long been trying to escape from her stomach. She spat and wiped her mouth, a look of disgust on her face from the taste. She noticed she had stopped crying, and let out a sigh.

[I]?We all know what we?re up against now? I?ll have to stop being such a baby if I want any of them to treat me like an adult,?[/I] she thought to herself, [I]?I can?t let this stuff get to me anymore. It?s not like I haven?t seen dead people before, just? not like that.?[/I]

She grimaced as she remembered the corpse of Crowley, and had to shake her head a bit to rid herself of the image.

[b]?That?s it. From now on, I show nothing,?[/b] she resolved, wiping the dried tear stains from her face. Just like she had to be strong for her grandparents when her sister had died, she?d have to be strong for the people who now shared her burden. No more tears, no more break downs. She was going to do whatever it took to not show that weak side of her anymore. Taking a deep breath, she gave herself one more moment to compose herself before turning towards the door that led back inside. Before she could even take a step towards it, however, the others burst through it, running from what sounded like gunshots.

[b]?Get on!?[/b] she heard Cam shout, and before she knew it, there were seven people running to jump onto a flying, white horse. One by one, they all pulled themselves onto her back as she galloped through the surprisingly empty street. Nikki was the last of them, pulled on by LeCrosse, who still had a strangely serious look on his face.

She didn?t know where they were headed to now, but she didn?t really care. Wherever they went, there was surely going to be some kind of trouble that they?d have to deal with. She was almost hoping there would be some confrontation, wanting to show the others her powers, instead of her tears.[/indent][/size]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#4B5B5B]The message, the dead ?hunter?, and the deceased informant. It all made no sense as to why Amelia and the others were so important in this quest that the black cloaked people were on. She had seen death many times and was practically accustomed to seeing it yet it was the message that took to her. Would countless others be maimed just to get these magicians to join them? What would be the price for them if they don?t? Would this ?master? come after them with an army of a thousand black cloaks? Exactly what was the price for being an individual with a power?

According to her father, the DiMaggio family was one of few families whose members were all Magicians. It was uncommon for an entire family to have powers and even more uncommon for the child to bear both the father?s and mother?s powers- not separately but mixed together. Amelia also remembered an argument her father and a woman- whom she had no recollection of- had about being a Magician. While the woman called it a gift, her father expressed it as a curse; both voiced strong debates about their opinions but neither would give in and in the end, both were tangled in a young Amelia?s powers.

Memories flooded back and, as always, gave Amelia a splitting headache. She took the past and buried it deep within her psyche, hoping to never let it resurface but, here it was. Trying to forget the very things she never wanted to remember, Amelia tried to marvel at the expense these people would go just to accomplish their goal, however she couldn?t. All she could do was remember; remember the past, remember the emotions, just remember.

Her mind rewound to the day she had expressed her powers, the day her father and a woman argued about the life of a Magician. She remembered how amazed and yet frightened they were of her powers; how the woman was saying how proud she was of Amelia and how proud she was that Amelia was blossoming into a powerful young girl already. But she also remembered the way her father had a look of disappointment and surrender, as if he felt he failed to raise a proper child. Albeit, he didn?t show it; he stood strong and used his own powers to cancel Amelia?s. She stood there and listened, only catching certain words in the soft-spoken yet argumentative tones like: coven, Magician, master, join, and die.

Holding a hand to her head, Amelia felt the wind push against her and noticed that Cameron was descending to the ground. She looked around and found herself using her powers to help land on her feet unlike last time. Quietly sighing to herself, Amelia began to think about the words she heard that day.

[B]?Coven?magician?master?join?die.?[/B] The five words that woman said, Amelia murmured under her breath. In deep thought, she tried to piece the missing puzzles together when a voice interrupted her thoughts. At first she didn?t hear what the person said but when she felt the heat of a hand near her shoulder; her immediate reaction was to defend herself.

Now back in reality, Amelia realized whose hand she was bending and saw it was Xavier. Blinking a few times, Amelia let go and apologized. Xavier rubbed his wrist a few times before chuckling. [B]?It?s alright,?[/B] he said.

Amelia brushed a hair behind her ear and looked up to see a comforting smile. [B][i]?He has a beautiful smile.?[/B][/i] She thought. [B][i]?It?s a shame not many others have that sort of smile.?[/B][/i] All she could do was smile back and apologize once more. [B]?Is your wrist alright? I didn?t mean for that to happen. It?s sort of a?reflex.?

?Don?t worry about it. I wouldn?t say I?m used to that but at least I know now you can handle yourself.?[/B] He smiled again and Amelia was caught in that smile again. It wasn?t that she was attracted to him just that his smile reminded her of something from the past. [B]?Anyways,?[/B] Xavier said to help with the silence between them, [B]?what were you saying earlier? Something about ?master???

?A woman came by my house a few years back. She was looking for me but my father refused to do what she wanted. She kept trying to convince him that it was for the best and I couldn?t hear much but the woman emphasized the words: coven, magician, master, join, and die. I didn?t know what it meant- granted I still don?t- but for some reason, I feel like it?s got something to do with the situation we?re in now.?[/B]

At this point Mugen was listening in, as well. [B]?Do you remember who the woman is??[/B]

Amelia looked away from the two for a moment, trying to recollect her thoughts. It was dark with only sunlight as the only light in the room that day; her father and the woman were both standing in an area that silhouetted their figures. The only time she ever saw the woman?s face was when she stepped into the room and used her powers and heard her voice. Even though Amelia was getting another headache she tried hard to match the voice she heard and the face- although not properly shown- she had seen that day. It all came down to one person?

[B]?Miranda Costa?my mother.?[/B][/color]

---

[b]EDIT:[/B] I tweaked it so that it sounded like we were already on the ground. Sorry about the confusion.[/size]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray][b]"Your mother? She was a magician as well, right?"[/b] Xavier asked, as Amelia's facial expression quickly changed.

[b]"Yeah...everyone in my family was in some shape or fashion."[/b] she answered, not really alluding to wanting to keep the conversation flowing in it's current direction.

[b]"Sorry for chiming in so suddenly, but where are we?"[/b] Darius asked, looking around. A series of seemingly erratically designed streets lay before them that sprawled out into all different types of directions. Many of the streets were bricklayered and old fashioned.

[b]"This is SoHo, one of the bordering neighborhoods to my home neighborhood actually. It surprised me to find that one of the magicians Crowley introduced me to a while back lived so close to me."[/b] Xavier answered, as the others looked on.

[b]"Wow, this area is waaay different then the parts of the city we've already been to."[/b] Nikki said, a bit enamored with the design.

[b]"Indeed, this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Manhattan. It's layout is qute different from the midtown areas."[/b] Xavier explained as he walked a bit upwards on Canal street.

[b]"Who is this magician we are going to see?"[/b] Ivy asked, following a bit cautiously behind Xavier.

[b]"Her name was Trisha, wasn't it?"[/b] Mugen asked, remembering the name they had decided on in Crowley's contact book.

[b]"Yes, Trisha Parke. She lives just up this block here."[/b] Xavier confirmed.

[b]"What are her...abilities?"[/b] Cammy asked, almost unsure as to what to call it.

[b]"Well...she has a rather unusual ability. She can..."[/b]

A screeching sound from the party's left side interuppted Xavier's line as the empty streets of SoHo began to fill with shadows. Black cloaks started emerge from the street one by one until there were about 5 of them. The magicians were spread out a bit on the sidewalk but were surrounded leaving space between them.

[b]"So, they tryin' to keep us from seein her eh?"[/b] LeCrosse said as he readied to defend himself.

[b]"This isn't good. Their arrival here could easily mean that they know about Trisha. We don't have time for this, so the best thing to do is to just get by them as fast as possible...whatever that may involve!"[/b] Mugen said as he thrusted his hand out infront of him.[/FONT][/color]