GP - Wild Magic 2: Chaotic Evil Boogaloo

[londoncallingmods]

London was a magic epicenter of sorts. Between doors to The Otherside, dormant and active portals, and an active wizarding community, it was a hub of energy, more so now than it had been for quite some time. The city was experiencing a magical renaissance of sorts- Which sounded lovely and made it a prime place to be for those exploring and studying magical energies, but wasn't so wonderful for London's more 'normal' sorts.

Magic didn't care if you were a dark lord or a banker, if it liked you, it liked you- And it was impossible to guess who it would like.

Today magic energy was at an all time high. Another blip in the usually somewhat steady stream of power that flowed through the streets. As a result, odd things were afoot- From mischievous inconveniences, to darker disruptions. Unlike the portals, these bothers were a touch more subtle, creeping up unseen on the unsuspecting.

Last time around the magic had seemed lighthearted and playful- And some of it still was, but... There was an intensity to some of it this time, harking back to the troubles that seemed to roll around every Halloween now. Something wicked was caught in the current, and while it wasn't out to harm everyone, it did seem keen to target a few.

(OTA. Just like the last time, the magic can affect your pup however you see fit. Unlike last time, however, some of the magic has taken a darker turn. It doesn't have to do something wicked to your pup, of course, but the option is there now. This post will be open from 7/18-7/28 or longer if needed. Tag in, tag others, and check back often.)

Comments

[wispofathing]

Curnen smiled and nodded a little, thoughtful. "Any idea how you'd do it?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

"The lights? Well, there's Pepper's Ghost. Complicated outside a controlled setting, but not impossible, especially with a bridge to work with. You just need glass, mirrors, and a dark area- Which would be where the bridge comes in..."

Spencer rambled on, explaining how the illusion worked and when it had first been used. He even went on a long tangent about how it was actually an improvement on a much more complicated method developed by a man named Henry Dircks. ...Until, finally, he realised he was talking far too much and trailed off.

[wispofathing]

Curnen had meant the question mostly as an idle curiosity, but to say Spencer had taken it and ran with it was an understatement. She blinked at him, dark eyes wide.

And then suddenly she did believe that he was just the type of guy who didn't shake hands, because the awkward puppy practically radiated from him.

She grinned, then put her hands over her mouth, but it didn't quite successfully muffle the "Ohhhhh..." that girls made when they saw anything adorable and clumsy. The sort of sound that was followed, by words like, I'm not laughing at you, it's just cute. Never mind that outwardly at least he was more than ten years older than her.

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer didn't know what to make of that response, and he fidgeted a bit.

"I go on sometimes. Sorry," he apologised, looking a bit embarrassed.

[wispofathing]

"It's okay." She pulled herself back under control before she asked, "So you're a long way from home. What brought you here?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I came to London looking for a friend of mine- Though, um, I haven't found him yet," he confessed, offering a lopsided smile as he relaxed a little bit.

"Can I ask why you're here? I mean, judging by your accent and dialect, you're not exactly local yourself.

[wispofathing]

"Reckon not," Curnen agreed with a little smile.

There were a lot of reasons why she was here and not at home, but the one that was easiest to share with a stranger was, "Connecting with my roots, I guess you could say. My ancestors are all from the British Isles."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Really? You know, only eight point seven percent of Americans identify their ancestry as English. It's the fourth most common heritage after German, Irish, and African-American- At least based on a census taken in the early 2000's," Spencer noted.

[wispofathing]

Curnen had to wonder just how much trivia this guy was carrying around in his head. She knew she didn't look anywhere near as white as he did. People mistook the Tufa for being white, black, or Native American. Some went a step further and thought they were, what was it? A tri-racial isolate. They weren't any of those things, though. Not even close.

"Oh, yeah. I met a man here whose family was connected with mine. It was... informative." She of course would not say of course that the connection was Willy's mother and her father as the whole thing had happened a brain-hurtingly long time ago, but nothing she'd said was untrue.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"That's amazing," Spencer replied sincerely, visibly impressed. "You must be really interested in your roots. Have you been documenting it all?"

[wispofathing]

Curnen ducked her head shyly. "Mm, yeah. Family history is pretty important to my sister and me. Things get lost when you forget where you come from." There was of course no paperwork that could be tracked. The closest thing was an old tapestry that Bliss was guarding in their basement--the only part of the house that had survived being burned down.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I've always sort of wanted to do a full family history. My mother's done some, but..."

He trailed off, smile fading for a beat before returning. "Maybe when i have more free time."

[wispofathing]

And that was practically an invitation not to ask about his mother.

"The things you say you'll do when you got free time tend to be the things that never get done."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Well, I have a lot of free time coming up," Spencer said softly. "I'm kind of temporarily unemployed, I guess."

[wispofathing]

"Something to keep you busy while you look for your friend, then," Curnen said, instead of anything about money, which would be her immediate concern in his place.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Or a new job. Whichever comes first, I suppose," Spencer replied with a sheepish smile, thankful that she hadn't asked about how he'd managed to lose his job in the first place.

"I haven't been to London in a long time, maybe I'll finally visit some tourist spots. Last time I was here it was to give a lecture, and the time before that it was a conference. I don't think I've ever really had the chance to just enjoy the city. ...You know after the fall of the Roman's rule in the fifth century, London, or Londinium as it was known then, was essentially abandoned. Can you imagine? I know it wasn't as impressive or as great as it is now, but... It's kind of amazing to think that the capital was basically left to rot for a while."

[wispofathing]

Where Curnen had come from, you didn't ask about why a man was out of work. Mostly because you didn't have to, it was practically a fact of life. Like any other fading rural town, most Tufa who weren't farming either had to work outside the county because Needsville couldn't provide employment for that many people or they were just shit out of luck. Her impulse was to worry about money.

"We raise and raze our city like the strangest house of cards..." It was a line from a S. J. Tucker song. Curnen smiled and shook her head at herself. "Don't mind me. But yeah, London's a tough old bitch. It's been anything but boring getting to know her."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer smiled at that and nodded in agreement. "Have you been to The National Gallery yet? That's near the top of my list, right after seeing the tower. ...I'm kind of hoping I'm here for Halloween as well, there's this place called London Dungeon, and apparently their Halloween season is amazing."

He realised he was about to start rambling again, and bit his tongue to stop himself.

"...I like Halloween a lot," he said instead.

[wispofathing]

"I've been to the Tate Gallery." The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, really, but she figured it was less weird to say she'd gone to see a museum rather than see a single painting. Curnen hoped for his sake very much that this Halloween wasn't going to be like the last one. "Ain't been to the London Dungeon."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I guess it would take forever to do everything there is to do here," Spencer laughed. "I'm going to try though," he decided.

[wispofathing]

She did not say, as she would to someone in the know, that time didn't work the same for everyone. Still, Curnen absurdly felt a little protective of him. "Well, be sure to pace yourself. There's a lot to go through."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I will, I will," Spencer assured her. "I can be very efficient though."

[wispofathing]

Curnen's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I bet you are."

But the gleam left when she caught sight of him yet again. Even looking at him from behind, she knew it was Brushy.

"I gotta go," she said, watching what might be her husband or a haint or... hell, she didn't know. "Real nice talking to you. Hope you find your friend."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer tried to follow her line of sight but failed.

"Oh, okay. Thank you," he added, offering an awkward wave.

[wispofathing]

Curnen smiled at that and answered with a little wave of her own. Though as her hand lowered to her side and she moved away, she made a quick gesture with her fingers. An entreaty to the night winds for protection and guidance--not for her, but for him. Spencer seemed like a nice guy, and like he'd somehow never grown out of that puppy stage where your limbs were too long and your hands and feet were too big that most people came out of by the time they left their teens. She hoped he did find that friend.