Log:Fatal Beauty, Scene 1

Fatal Beauty 2013/07/28 	 Mage Porter Fox

1

''The smell of fresh coffee is the first thing that assails you. The next is the very old style. It seems the owner has gone for the Edwardian style from early last century. Lots of imitation wood panelling and prints of old English countryside. There are many partitions between the tables, affording some privacy and the sound seems hushed in the room, this has been achieved mainly through very good design, which muffles sounds. At the counter service is quite quick and cheery, conveying a welcoming and friendly attitude. The menu boasts the fact that for a little extra real coffee is served along with light hot and cold meals and snacks. All in all a pleasant place to pass a bit of time. ''

Liam steps into the coffee shop and pauses at the door to look about.

Given his predilection for stimulants, it may be no surprise to find Porter here, nursing an iced coffee from a clear cup. Caffeine appears to be one more common interest that they share.

... If the syrupy, thick concoction that Liam favors can be called coffee. Liam nods to Porter and one other person he knows as he heads to the counter and orders Turkish coffee.

Porter turned and noticed Liam's entrance, then the nod. He returns it politely enough, though he doesn't have anything important enough to say that it needs to be yelled across the shop.

After getting his coffee, Liam turns and the pretty blonde he nodded to earlier sits up a bit straighter in her seat and smooths down her hair. Liam smiles faintly at her, then walks over to Porter and asks, "Do you mind if I join you?"

Porter arches a brow, mildly surprised by the request. He gestures with his cup to an empty chair at the table (which is all but the one he's in). "Be my guest."

Liam sits and sips his coffee. Despite the request evidently not eager to launch into conversation.

After watching him a moment, Porter's curiosity (or impatience) gets the better of him. "So... I'm pretty sure these chairs aren't any better than the others..." He chuckles lightly before asking, "Did you want to talk or something?"

The blonde jumps up and storms out, leaving her table a mess. After she storms out, Liam says over the rim of his cup with a faint smile. "Ne, we are fine just as we are."

Porter does a double-take when the blonde storms out. He is more than a little confused, and slowly turns his head back to Liam. The smile over the cup is suspicious, not that Porter needed any further cause to ask, "Do I even want to know what that was all about?"

Liam explains, "Amorous client."

"Looked more like a miffed client to me..." Porter shrugs, "Not that I'm an expert. That happen alot to you?"

Liam says, "It is not unheard of for a client to have expectations beyond what they pay for. Magic and miracles are not synonymous."

Porter ohs. "I always thought magic could do pretty much anything. That sounds pretty close to miracles to me." Another shrug. "Guess there's a catch in there somewhere?"

Liam says, "The attractive young lady who just left? She is 78 years old and, in her memory was stunningly attractive, so much so that men forgave her every outburst and overlooked her every flaw. So, she paid handsomely to have that youth temporarily restored, but..." Liam pauses, smiles faintly and says instead, "I'm certain you can finish this tale."

Porter blinks. "Ok..." He looks back at the door, though the woman is long gone. "So you made her look like she remembered? Seems miraculous. Even if she got her old attitude back with it."

Liam says, "The young man who caught her eye prior to her metamorphosis has already spurned her advances and the second one to catch her eye has proven to be as interested in spending her money as in her beauty." Pointing to himself, he continues, "So she aimed her attentions to slightly older gentlemen and has found her personality to be as much an impediment as it was when she appeared older. It is my hope that she ends the month not just poorer but wiser than she began it."

"So she's teaching herself a lesson? Maybe?" Porter follows most of his logic. "Maybe giving her her looks back wasn't a great idea. Or wasn't what she really needed."

Liam nods, "But it was what she thought she wanted."

Porter nods. "Yeah. Well, I hope she doesn't end up totally broke and old, since the young thing isn't going to last forever." Liam did say temporarily. "So is that what you do? Go around granting wishes like some kind of fairy godfather?" He can't stop a wry grin from accompanying his question.

Liam says, "Something like that. Mainly healings, since I am still a licensed neurosurgeon and I have some latitude on the treatment options at my disposal."

"Right," Porter nods again. "So, how's Fox doing? Since I'm sure you get the chance to talk with her more than I do."

Liam says, "The first time she requested the use of my link as a tool was to get her bracers repaired. I suggested that she was capable of affecting the repairs without my assistance. Obviously I was correct." He pauses and takes a sip of his thick coffee, sighs with satisfaction and continues. "The link requires daily contact to renew itself. Since that day, Fox has renewed the link only rarely. As I expected, she is wise enough to not mistake a safety net for a crutch."

Liam adds, "She has also declined my suggestion she live at Pied-a-Ciel."

Porter's arching brow betrays his surprise at the response, though it does lower quickly and blends into a chuckle. "She's pretty independent, does what she wants when she wants. I know she already has a place to stay, but it seems like she isn't there much, either. I've seen her napping outside wherever she happened to stop." Porter shrugs some.

Liam nods and smiles - a faint smirk, "I think I chose well."

"Chose?" Porter doesn't quite follow Liam's comment and curiosity kicks in, especially given the context. Just curiosity; no accusations are in his tone. For a change.

Liam says, "Fox has an unprecedented access to my mind. It is a connection either of us can break at any time, but it is there: she is inside my defenses. Giving her that access was the price I paid for the link we share.... I let myself be vulnerable."

Porter ohs and nods slightly. "Guess I didn't think of it that way... even when I was planning to do the same thing. Wouldn't be easy for her to do that, either, even if it helps her out."

Liam nods sagely, "You notice that I haven't sought her out on those days when she chooses not to renew the link. I enjoy her heightened communication skills, but not to the extent that I impede her life any more than she impedes mine ... which is to say, not at all. As I said, "I chose well."

"Yeah, guess it could get a little ... much with somebody else in your head 24/7." Porter doesn't know anything about brain-linking, but he can understand that. "Still, must be nice knowing what she really means, what she's really like... Oh, thanks for the little thinking out loud trick, by the way. Though it was a little ...loud?"

Liam smirks, "Always a critic."

Liam clarifies, "There's always a critic in every crowd."

It is Fox who enters the shop of coff. It is Fox who takes notice of Liam and Porter in speaking capacity. It is Fox who approaches their table with a friendly wave, and for those named Liam, a mental sort of handshake.

 Found you! Can't get away from me that easily. At least, not without bribes.

Liam replies to something Porter cannot hear, "No, I cannot" and turns as Fox approaches

Porter smirks. "Not really a complaint, just hard to have a private- Oh, hey!" Porter quickly switches gears when Fox walks up and waves.

"What..happen?" Fox asks, sliding a chair, turning it ninety degrees so it faces a sideways direction as she slides onto it, one leg tucked beneath her.

Liam says, "We were discussing a client of mine and how magic does not always solve everyone's problems."

Porter nods. "Magic stuff. Most I don't understand." He shrugs, then turns a smile to Fox. "How are you doing?"

The fox-girl shrugs her concurrence with Porter. Understanding for her is very limited as well. "Awake," she offers as an indicator of her present state.

"I see that." Porter's smile curls a bit further at the simple, but very accurate reply. He sips some more iced, or now more slushy, coffee through the straw. His eyes shift to Liam after a moment, then back to Fox. From Liam's earlier answer to no audible question and from what he knows, Porter can't help wonder what they might be discussing silently.

No subtle hints of exchange between Fox and Liam seem to be indicated. She has either become better at not giving away anything when she silently converses with him or there is little being exchanged. Fox's attention seems to be more focused on Porter, at the moment. "Quiet," she muses, frowning. "Sorry."

 Are you doing well?"

Liam says, "What would you like to understand?""

Fox's attention shifts, a glance, flick of ear, toward Liam.

 Today, very much so. Most days that way. There's the occasional day where things seem bad but then I forget about the bad ones not long afterward. Well, in the sense that you forget about things deliberately.

Porter goes from wondering about brain chats to wondering what he did wrong. Brows pop up. "Sorry for what? It's Ok that you're quiet." When Liam speaks up, Porter turns his questioning look to him. "Huh?"

 "Care to translate?"

Liam says, "You, Porter, said you didn't understand magic. What would you like to understand?"

 Which one? The brain or the mouth? I can try with either. I think the brain got scrambled before I woke up that first time I remember. Pretty sure I used to be literate.

The fox-girl continues to physically indicate that part of her is attentive on Liam in an expressive manner. "Got...here," Fox says, slowly and with deliberation. "Speak...stopped."

 I think Porter still doesn't understand what you were apologizing for.

 I arrived and you guys stopped talking. Usually that's what happens when someone intrudes. Like a freaky fox-girl.

Liam nods in reply to something Porter cannot hear.

Liam takes a deep breath and starts over. "When we arrived, Fox commented that we were suddenly *quiet* at her approach and added that she was *sorry* for interrupting our conversation. You, Porter said you didn't understand magic and I offered to provide a layman's explanation. When I asked how she was doing, she replied 'awake' which I hope needs no further explanation. Everyone caught up?"

"Um... I don't know?" Porter didn't expect that. "Don't know where to even start with asking on magic. I know it can make some pretty nasty fireballs, and what you can do, but that's it..." When Liam gives the quick rundown, Porter sighs. "Sorry. I didn't mean you had to... Just felt like I was a fifth wheel or something..."

Liam says, "Magic is like rolling a ball down a hill. Forces in the universe - like gravity - propel the ball down the hill but a human hand needs to initiate it."

 If you want I can clear out. Whatever you were talking about is obviously not for me to know. I just came in because I saw you guys together and was thinking like it would be neat for me to be near you both.

Fox looks from Porter to Liam and back again, hinting on the uncertain.

Porter listens. At least that's a plain enough idea to easily understand. "Ok, I can follow that. Sounds alot like, well, anything else, really. Most things aren't just going to happen without somebody doing something to make it happen." His attention is split between Liam and Fox, though he's answering Liam.

Liam replies to Fox, out loud for Porter's benefit, "You do not need to leave. We really *were* discussing a client - a woman who is not satisfied with getting what she wished for. That discussion segued into a discussion of you and how you have not abused what I have given you and justified the trust I placed in you. Porter agreed with my assessment."

The fox-girl seems relieved, in a way. "Dichot..omy," she muses thoughtfully.

 I have quirky maturity disparity thingies. Between how I think of relationships and responsibility where power is concerned. Do those average out into something resembling normalcy? Is normalcy a word, or is it normality?

Porter immediately frowns when he gets a good idea of what's going on from Liam's half of the other conversation. "Yeah, you don't need to go anywhere. It's my fault for bringing that up, anyways," he admits. "I was just wondering how you were doing and figured he knew better than me. I'm a little envious of that." Ok, maybe he admits more than he intended, and he ends everything with a light shrugs.

 Normalicy.

Liam translates, "Fox says she has a maturity disparity, between how she think of relationships and responsibility where power is concerned. I'm not sure I understand the disparity."

Porter isn't sure that Liam's translation is any more clear than Fox's one word. "I'm not sure I understand all of what you just said..." If Liam's big words are intended to make him feel smarter than others, they've succeeded.

 Normalicy it is. Not to be confused with normaliciousness. I don't understand the disparity either so we have that.

Fox just grins, seeming amused by something she isn't saying. She draws two napkins together on the table. "Parity." She then tears one in half, then quartered. "Disparity."

Liam sighs, "Yes, that is a good demonstration of the definition of disparity. I an a doctor and do understand what the word means, but don't understand 'maturity disparity.'"

Porter can follow the napkins and the explanation of the word almost as well as Liam, or well enough, at least. Unfortunately, like Liam, he still doesn't fully understand.

 It's not really important. I'd probably need time to explain it and I'd probably get bored of going over it before I was done. Easier to impulse what I'm saying out and keep focus than to analyze and lose me. If that makes any sense.

Fox just leans on the table and smiles, "Doesn't...matter." She is sincere in saying this, it is evident.

Liam rolls his eyes and says, "If you needed proof that magic cannot accomplish everything, Porter, we have that today.

Considering their mutual confusion, and Fox's smile, Porters wonders aloud to Liam, "Maybe she's saying that we're nowhere near her level?" He points at the whole napkin and Fox, then at the little pieces and waggles a finger between himself and Liam. Porter's tone isn't entirely serious, but, given the moment, it isn't entirely in jest, either.

Liam says, "Or that men understanding women, in general, is beyond us."

 If he means I think I'm smarter, that's really far from the truth. Nowhere near my level of brain scrambledness, sure. That I'll accept.

Fox seems mildly incredulous, though cautious as she puts thought toward what Porter might mean.

Porter has to chuckle as he agrees with Liam. There's a third thing in common. "That could be beyond a miracle."

Fox decides to ask, "What...wevewww.." She looks displeased in a way, bothered by her speech.

Porter turns a little red when Fox reminds him that she's still sitting right there and may not appreciate the joking with Liam. "Sorry... It was just a joke. Women being mysterious, men being slow..."

Fox shakes her head slowly, shrugging. "Speak...hard," she says with the same shrug. "Easier... pounce."

"I know," Porter's lips purse with his nod, though they soon curl upward again. "but I don't mind you pouncing. Actions louder than words and all that."

"Tousand... pictures." Fox grins.

Porter grins wider and nods. After a moment, he rests his arms on the table, leaning towards her. "You know. Sometimes I think less words can be better, not harder..." He then adds, "or maybe it's just you."

"Harder," Fox says with a certain nod. "Trust...me." That look of intense frustration she periodically gets makes a shadow of itself on her face.

Well, that didn't exactly turn out as he hoped. Porter's grin droops and he reverts to an all-too-familiar response. "I'm sorry." Even if it's routine, it's still sincere. He then tries to recover. "If I knew how to change it, fix it, something, I would."

Fox slides over and hugs Porter. "Me...too," she says quietly.

Porter is happy to return the hug, and feels less like he screwed up again after it. "If there's anything I can do to help, tell me? Or show me? Or something? Just let me know."