Left hand's fingers pushed the pocketwatch in the gloved palm of her right hand, spinning it round and round, round and round. It was a bit hypnotic, slowing her thoughts so that she could decide when to return it to its owner. Obsidian gaze turned on the business card, eyeing the name and address. With a shrug, she stood to grab her leather jacket and shove her wallet into the inside pocket. She would have forgone the leather jacket, but she didn't intend to be out in the awful humidity for very long, and it would keep any skin contact to a minimum. Snagging the phone, she quicky rang the front desk to have them get her a taxi. Hey, with the ritziness of this place, they could damn well do something useful besides tidying up the nonexistant mess in her suite. Pocket watch and business card were shoved into her pocket so that she could lace up her boots. Finally, she snagged her sunglasses, made sure she had her key card, then headed for the stairs. Yes, stairs, not elevator. Too easy for someone to touch her in an elevator, not to mention there wasn't much room to maneuver. And it was great exercise to use the stairs. Once down in the lobby, the sunglasses we shoved on and she headed out to be pointed toward the taxi waiting for her. Slipping into the back, she recited the address, then sat back to wait. ----------------- A brow lifted as she stepped into the building, fingers pulling the sunglasses off to see in the dimmer light. She wasn't much on reading just for fun, but there were some books she collected constantly. Perhaps later she'd look to see if there was anything here that she hadn't already added to her personal library. With a slight shake of her head, she retrieved the watch from her pocket. Moving the round object through her fingers with ease, she headed toward the counter. Having only seen Mr. James Cooper in his masquerade costume, it would be a little more difficult to accurately identify him. Despite the mask he'd worn, which muffled his voice, she'd recognize it once it was heard again. And the way he moved, that would be recognizable as well. A lop-sided smile found its way to her lips, aimed toward the person at the counter. "Could you direct me to Mr. Cooper? I believe he might want his property back..."
The person behind the counter in question had his face obscured by a book when she approached it. and he was leaning back in an office chair, with ankles crossed and resting upon the counter. his clothing was simple, business casual blue slacks, and a gray button down business shirt. when the man heard a voice he tilted his head to the side, steely blue eyes that she might recognized took her in from the bottom up. though he did it quickly she might not have even noticed the look.
he closed the book then, it was a very old one, letters on the cover looking faded, the leather of the binding extremely worn and cracked, though it was well loved and he carefully placed it on the small desk behind the counter before he stood. he didn't make eye contact with the smile he offered her. "Indeed I can, Though you're lucky he's often a hard man to get a hold of, what with the loads of business that we do." and she would probably recognize his voice, sans the metallic resonance. he was making jest and offered his hand with a small chuckle. where she to take his hand, and was sensitive to such things, she might feel the tingling sensation of his magical aura. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you. Kaitlyn... yes?" he didn't often go and give his things out to people, but she was wearing a mask, for all he knew she was a random passer by that the woman he'd left his watch with hired or something.
Kaitlyn seemed completely relaxed, although she did watch him carefully the moment he moved. Amusement flickered at the teasing, a faint chuckle passing her lips. There was just a touch of hesitation before she reached to shake the offered hand. The half-finger gloves allowed only a little skin contact, enough that she felt something from his touch. That wasn't terribly surprising, considering the way her luck had been going lately. It just meant she'd have to be a little more careful until she decided whether he was worth trusting or not. At least she was able to keep her defenses from kicking in, no jolt from her to him. The new training program her sensei had suggested seemed to be working for once.
Head nodded in answer to the questioning tone about her name. "Good memory. Kaitlyn Savage at your service. You can call me Kate if you like." A shrug. She didn't particularly care whether he used the nickname or not, but it was one of those things that some people offered to seem more friendly. Wasn't it? She seemed to recall something along those lines, but couldn't be sure. It had been a very long time since she'd tried to 'make friends'. The watch was held up between thumb and index finger. "I thought I'd return this to you. It doesn't really go with anything in my closet."
As if she would really keep it. Fence it, maybe, if she was in a malicious mood, but that wasn't the case this time. After retrieving her hand from his, she let the watch drop to take its place. "So, Mr. Cooper, when not attending masquerade balls, you run a book store. What else do you do?"
"Very well Kate, You can call me James, or any variant of that you'd desire."James smiled back, he got nothing back from her. Which was a pretty okay sign for the wizard, a nod offered and he stepped around the counter as he spoke.
When she held up the watch he gave a small laugh of joy accepting it when it was plopped down into his hand. "I wouldn't imagine that you would, I mean look at it... its hideous, not at all a timepiece for a lady. Actually, it's not really a time piece for anyone s'been broken for years" he looked down at the watch for a moment, it was a gift from his teacher.and it didn't work then, it was meant to be something to be enchanted in order to defend ones self. the watch was tossed onto the chair behind the counter eyes back up at the young lady.
To her last question James let a flash of an almost forlorn look. but it was only a flash, one that faded almost immediately before speaking up again"To be completely honest, I don't do much else... I have to be here so much in order to ensure that my bills get paid properly, that it does not lead itself very well to a social life." Though he did sometimes get out for a bite and a brew at a local pub or something. Also,when you didn't have electricity at your home, no anything that required it to run, your bills where not too terribly bad. of course James was an absolutely rubbish cook. So he tended to eat out a lot, there was the flip side to that then I suppose.
HE quickly moved on though, not wanting his failure at social life to stick around for a while. and to move on, "how about you? any interesting hobbies? a big fan of reading at all? because I just so happen to know where you can pick up a good book." James didn't have many friends here stateside. Not getting out much tended to hamper that a great deal.
The store itself was rather large for its outside appearance, it was a vast and empty room, each wall lined with bookshelves, and each bookshelf was jam packed full of books. scattered about the store, in a rather haphazard fashion where a number of big overstuffed easy chairs. thirteen of them. usually standing near one of thirteen randomly scattered pillars. they where not needed for structural purposes. as they where each carved floor to ceiling with pictographs depicting the ancient tales or Beowulf. King Arthur, the illiad, and several others. towards the back of the store was a staircase, at the top of which was a locked chain link door, reinforced and all that fancy stuff. it wasn't cheap., but it deterred robbers, the oft area , visible from here, held his rare books, the ones that where literally older then dirt, expensive stuff up there. as evident by the sign on the door. 'IF you would like into the rare books room, please ask the employee on duty, Thanks -Management'
"I'm sure there are some who would disagree about it being hideous.." Amusement tinged the words. She could name at least three different fences she could have taken the thing to, though only one would have given her a price anywhere close to what she figured it was worth. And that wasn't including whatever sentimental value it might have, which she guessed was high from the joyful laugh he gave upon accepting it.
Being good at reading most people allowed her to catch that forlorn look. Immediately, she remembered what he'd said about living with a bunch of grumpy old men. Yes, cranky old guys, most of which she'd found were hermits, and working a lot were bound to make a social life almost nonexistant. She would know about working a lot. Then again, she hadn't really gone out of her way to try to 'make friends', not in years. Maybe the powers-that-be had decided to shove James into her path to wake her up to that fact. If so, she wasn't precisely againstthe idea of having a friend, but those powers-that-be could still take a hike and interfere in someone else's life.
A slight smile curved her lips. "I'm afraid I work quite a bit myself. Making buildings secure to keep the two-legged rats out." A shrug. "Outside of that, my only real interests are in martial arts, meditation, and yes, a little reading now and then." Why was she chattering like that? Surely she wasn't nervous, was she? And was it hot in here?
Gaze skittered away from him to study the interior closer. She noted the door at the top of the staircase, unable to subdue a slight wince. That would have been one of the first things she'd fix if she were here about security. If she were really determined to get in there it wouldn't have stopped her. Then again, there had been that tingle from his skin so maybe he had other ways of keeping people out. And really, there weren't that many who would steal books. She'd had one or two assignments of that sort, but times had changed.
Kaitlyn stepped toward the closest pillar, unzipping her jacket in the process. It felt too hot, her breathing was strange. Was this an anxiety attack? That hadn't happened in.. well, a very long time. "If you've got anything new about meditation techniques or Zen teachings, I'd be interested. Or if you have any of The Way of the Warrior series, I'll see if I can't complete my collection."
Distraction, that was just the thing she needed. Fingers crept toward the scars on the left side of her chest, particularly the ones at her collar bone. At the ball they'd been carefully concealed with plenty of make-up, but she hadn't bothered today, not expecting to be without the shielding jacket. Therefore the lines showed pale against her caramel skin. The black tank shielded some of them from sight, but didn't cover them all. Head turned slightly, though she didn't look directly at him, motioning slightly toward the pillar. "These are wonderful, James." Yes, concentrate on other things, breathe through the anxiety. It would fade as long as she didn't give in to it. And she was just stubborn enough to tough it out, even should James notice.
" Oh I've no doubt that's true, someones trash, another's treasure 'ey?" that was asked with smile. eyes leaving her form when she asked about the book series, they'd be the only ones out in this section of the store that she would be apt to find. of course James not thinking to invite her along simply wandered off down an aisle." I haven't got anything new, on meditation or zen teachings, but I've got some old stuff you might never have seen." mostly because he was looking over a section and then smiled, stepping out so she could see him again.
"hm? oh, those. yeah, they weren't any cake walk, call it a lesson in being patient. " which each one actually was, a lesson commissioned by his teacher. 'wizards are patient, dear boy, there is no need to rush through training. a rushed training session could mean you life. bla blah blah... ' all that layed out in his head, a proud smile showing as his eyes went to up the ceiling "Worth it though... oh! you asked for way of the warrior? I haven't got much, but its right over here." motioning her on over.
his eyes flickered tot he upstairs portion, she was right in thinking he had other ways to defend it. inf act, the entire store was warded when he wasn't here. several alarms to alert him personally, as well as some repulsion ones, and a ward that would summon lightning to strike should anyone try to force his door open. wizards didn't fuck around when i came to keeping books safe.
"How old? I wouldn't have to wade through some archaic language, would I?" There was a hint of suspicion in her tone, clearly not enjoying the prospect. While, yes, older techniques and teachings might be of some use, it wasn't worth struggling to translate it into plain English. He might have learned patience carving things on pillars, but that was a virtue she was severely lacking in.
She took her time heading toward him, giving herself time to calm her pulse and steady her breathing. Stopping next to him, she looked over the selection and quickly spotted one she didn't have yet. Plucking it free, she flashed the cover at him - The Unfettered Mind - with a quick grin. "Perfect. Now I'll have a reason to avoid my sister's phone calls." And she probably would, too. Once she started reading it, she wasn't likely to stop until she finished. Then, of course, she'd set it aside to think about what she'd read, eventually integrating bits and pieces into her life.
"Too bad there's not a Complete Idiot's Guide to Avoiding Social Awkwardness. Then again, my brother-in-law probably would have gotten it for me if it did exist and then I'd have to hurt him." A faux-frustrated frown formed, but just as quickly was replaced by the lop-sided smile.
He thought for a moment, musing on her question. thinking a great deal about it. really he was going through the vast and great vault of his memory, searching for the books he'd read on the subject of meditation, she might have been able to see the gears turning behind his eyes, which where not focused on anything in particular instead just pointed at the ground. After a moment he gave a nod and smiled back up at her.
"I've got some that are in English, most I have are in Latin though... If you're interested in one though, I'm fluent enough to transcribe..." it was offered with a nod. Council business was done in Latin he knew the language pretty well, not as well as older wizards, but well enough for one of his age. he smiled again and started towards the upstairs section, a tilt of her head said she should follow, a hand reaching into his pocket for keys.
" I usually just disconnect my phone if I don't want to hear from anyone..." he closed his eyes and placed a hand on the lock, willing the defensive magic in it away before he unlocked it and swung the gate open. continuing up to the rare books section.
" Oh they have that book, but most people call it Alcohol..." it was true, James was good in these situations. being in his element, books and showing people things... but get him on a more personal topic and he really did not know how to guide a conversation.
When she got upstairs she would see the books up here were very different then the ones downstairs, they where all older, most where leather bound, and many had faded lettering on the spine.
Kaitlyn grimaced. Latin, great. Although, when he said he could do the transcribing it didn't seem as bad as she first thought. When he headed for the upstairs section, she gave a shrug and fell in behind him. It wouldn't hurt anything to go have a look, might even be some little gem of information that would make all the difference. Body leaned to the side, peering from his face to the lock, making a quick guess that he was removing something that would be highly painful if triggered.
"Turning off the phone doesn't work with my sister. She's my twin, you see. Not at all easy to ignore her, or her infuriating husband. Although... the time I melted my cell phone made them leave me alone for about a week..." She'd been thinking aloud really, just musing. Once she realized what she said a brief look of horror appeared, quickly shuttered behind a blank mask. Everything in her stilled, tense and waiting for whatever reaction he'd give to this revelation.'Brilliant, Kate. Way to go with that having normal conversations thing. See, this is why you ignore Chloe and Luc's suggestions,'came the annoying words from that little voice in the back of her head. The comment about her quip of a Complete Idiot's Guide title was ignored, fully expecting an unpleasant and uncomfortable interrogation about how she'd managed to melt a cell phone.
The moment she was able to step into the 'rare book' room, she did so. Moving to put a few feet of space between them, she looked around, marveling at the amount of knowledge stored here. A breath was taken, inhaling the scent of leather and old paper, the smell of books. Yes, books had a distinct smell. (I couldn't resist, lol.) At least old ones did.
With another breath, this time for strength, she gathered that shield around her like a protective blanket, the one that kept others' fear from hurting her heart. Obsidian hues turned on him, conjuring a slight smile. She had to clear her throat twice before she could speak, trying to ignore the static charge building, crackling and lifting wisps of her hair. "So... where do we start?" Whether she was asking to know where in this room they'd find the books he's mentioned, or whether she was waiting for his first question about what she was... well, either way it was a good question.
-- Edited by KAITLYN SAVAGE on Sunday 20th of March 2011 06:47:41 PM
James may not have been th most personable person. but he was really very good at poker. Wizards had to be, needed to make other people think twice about crossing you. 'never give away your whole hand' yes, he heard her comment about melting the phone. and yes he saw her wince at the statement, watching the look of horror crawl over her face before she too quickly hid that away behind her own poker face. James offered only a smile and a nod. " I can imagine, I tried to use a cell phone once, bloody thing lasted less then two minutes before it fizzled in my hand... bloke I borrowed it from was not at all very pleased about it."
She didn't elaborate, and neither did he. but he was trying to offer a level playing field. a little slip about frying electronics for a similar slip. It was hard to have a pleasant conversation when the other person was afraid that you where going to hurt them or something with a little bit of information. While IT was against most of the rules to openly mention something like that. Maybe he was tired of hiding. There was obviously a lot going on around him ; a great number of supernatural beings around him... Might be nice to talk to someone else about the art.
When she asked about starting he snapped from what might have been a little space watching while he thought and then smiled again."Come on over here" he stated down an aisle eyes watching the bookshelves, the titles on many of the books where worn off, so the book title and price was on a label underneath each book HE reached up and pulled out a slender volume that said in nice plain English letters. 'Modern Meditation : Curbing the energies around you'
He offered the book over to her. "This one is absolutely brilliant. The author seemed to think that with enough thought, and focus the energies that surround us all could be manipulated and altered to any number of effects, Anything from an aura of calm to surround you, or maybe instill in yourself an overriding sense of courage, IT really is a fascinating read... It's also in English too.Which ought to be helpful" Really, IT was written to help Wizards keep from frying out electronics by simply walking past them. but he wasn't going to outright tell her that.
The axe didn't fall. In fact he offered up a tidbit about his own trouble with cell phones. That earned him major points in her book. You know, that little book women had in their heads that labeled guys from gentleman to sleazebag. At this rate, James was going to end up in the gentleman category. A small nod of her head and a faint smile were offered, letting him know that she understood and was grateful for the sharing. It did make her wonder what power he hid, but she wouldn't ask. That just opened the floor for him to ask her things and she wasn't going there right now.
Pushing all that aside, she wandered after him down the aisle of books, wondering just how he remembered what each one was since as far as she could tell a lot of the titles were worn away from the spines. Then she noticed the labels underneath them and smiled to herself. Had she been paying a little less attention, she might have run right into him, but caught herself at the last moment, rocking back on her heels. Dark gaze zeroed in on the book with - oh, thank god! - a title in English.
Brows drew together slightly as she took it, carefully skimming through the pages as she listened to what he said about the volume. It certainly sounded more useful than some of the other books she'd gotten over the years. Teeth nibbled at her lip, reading a few lines here and there. "It sounds like it might have just the answers I need. I know there's something missing from the current meditation exercises I've been doing, but I'm not sure what it is. There has to be something, somewhere, that can help tamp down anger... At the least there has to be something to make the anger useful, rather than a weakness. I hate feeling weak." Fingers crept up to rub at the scarring on her chest. She doubted the well of anger in her would ever disappear, but perhaps it could be managed better than it was now.
James watched her as she glanced through the book. with a small smile upon his face, it was small, but James really liked helping people when he could. Of course when she mentioned ways to keep her anger useful, not allowing it to weaken her he rose his brows. and he spoke again, it was a subject he was very familiar with, Emotion was magical fuel at times. Anger was powerful for it. and channeling it through to a constructive purpose.
"Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way... that is not easy... That was something that an old teacher told me; I think Aristotle meant it in a different way then he did. I took it to mean that Anger, when channeled and focused can be powerful." he said that in an almost zen way and gave a nod, reaching a hand forth and tapping at the book in her hand." That can help you a great deal...I've read it , it's brilliant." in fact, the chapter on anger management through meditation in the book, opened with the very same quote from Aristotle.
