The Mall

[Chaos]

Welcome to the Musehatten mall! Anything and everything can be found here somewhere, if you know the right people to ask...

[Κομμα]

The sands were useless here. No matter which angle they were turned, from which direction they were viewed, they flowed in both directions; from the top of the glass to the bottom, and from bottom to top. They were simply useless; useless as they were in his home world for anything but decoration.

Irate, Skye plucked the small ebony sandglass up from his isolated table outside a small coffee shop, and stowed it back in a pocket hidden beneath his long gray overcoat. The lack of certainty was the most difficult thing to grow accustomed to; the number of directions in which everyone's own separate path could branch off in, the infinite, unending possibilities....

The place lacked sense, it lacked order, and it simply shouldn't have been allowed; yet somehow, it was. Observing the life that passed him by in the immense shopping mall, Skye leaned back in his chair a bit more leisurely and lifted the steaming disposable cup on his table to his lips.

At least they had good coffee.

He should look at it like a vacation; a refuge. That was what he had been told. On the off chance he was found, there was little to nothing much they could do to him. This realm was out of their jurisdiction.

He had doubted it for a while, until he had seen how the sands behaved here. It was almost like home--almost. Still, there was that nagging lack of certainty to be dealt with; and a ridiculous notion that he was wasting his time, despite the place having a practically immeasurable stock of the stuff. After spending a century on borrowed time in a quasi-mortal body, to be supplied with infinite time once again should have felt like waking up from a nightmare; yet still, remnants of the nightmare remained, and his apprehension refused to die down yet.

That rushed, uncertain, all around uncomfortable feeling simply refused to leave him be and allow him to even enjoy his coffee. This simply wouldn't do; surely there was some diversion to be had. A mall of this size should have been filled to the brim with distraction.

[Elindë]

Hallen had been acting up all morning. He had come bounding into Lovai's chambers - in his home world; it seemed interdimensional travel passed Hallen by with pretty much everything else - holding a branch soaking wet and covered with moss. He held it out to Lovai as though it was some sort of trophy. Lovai put it somewhere it wouldn't be found, got changed into clothes he wore in the Realm while Hallen was having a bath, and had brought him here. Lovai liked this place. It was the first place he'd come to in this dimension and it was also full of enough things to keep even Hallen distracted.

What he hadn't banked on was the sheer number of people they'd encounter. He had already lost Hallen twice, and each time his heart missed several beats. Hallen had no concept of being lost, and very little fear or so it seemed, so he would just keep wandering in this place unconcerned that Lovai had disappeared, touch some dangerous instrument and get hurt or worse. It also occurred to Lovai that despite his childish behaviour Hallen didn't need him, but he wouldn't let himself think that too often. He did accept, however, that he probably relied on Hallen more than Hallen relied on him, especially now Eldu had squirreled himself away. Lovai needed someone he could talk to, even if in Hallen's case it was always a one-sided conversation.

The huge purple emperor butterfly on Hallen's back flexed its wings, and the Americana exotica and Swallowtail butterflies circled each other round his head. Usually Hallen's butterflies were not real species, but the ones that represented himself and his two elven friends were for some reason. The small figure was at the bottom of the stairs now and Lovai watched him pause for a second and then weave his way towards a coffee shop. He then crouched down a few yards away and stared in front of him, eyes transfixed on the bizarre man who had just moved an impossible hourglass off his table.

Lovai clattered down the stairs, pushing people over as he rushed to catch up, and caught the collar of Hallen's coat before the other could move forward again.

"Don't stare at strangers," Lovai reminded his charge, then looked at the man to apologise. But the words stuck in his throat; there was something about him that was different to anything Lovai had ever seen before, but he couldn't tell what it was. With some effort, he pulled Hallen up and ushered him away, but he couldn't help but look back to see if the man had noticed them.

[Κομμα]

(Fweeeee RP~ )

It took Skye some time to notice he was being observed; he had just set down his coffee and gave a glance at the analog watch still ticking stubbornly on his wrist as though the thing believed it actually mattered here, and commenced to loosening its leather strap. He gave pause in this when that creeping feeling of being watched very abruptly crept over him, and the regular foreboding sensation of dread accompanied it.

The conclave.

His eyes swiveled to look around him, though he didn't turn his head and continued moving his watch; and found immense relief when he realized the only being paying him any actual attention was a rather short, rather odd man with butterflies encircling him, and a particularly large one on his back. Skye didn't waste his time with attempting to read the fellow; it was next to useless in this realm. Any and everything involving time was muddled. The sun rose and set, but it had no real meaning. Half the time it seemed night didn't bother to fall or end at a regular hour, so why even try keeping track of it?

Skye gave an irate sigh, and slipped the watch into his pocket. Even Pandem wasn't so ridiculous as this place. Themaes would have loved it, the mad old dolt.

The air of childish curiosity about the small man observing him reminded Skye distinctly of one of his newer colleagues he was intentionally avoiding, right down to his obvious magical backgrund. Magic had become almost foreign to him, for how long he had been stuck away from it; but nevertheless, this in itself was a welcome change. That horribly mundane Earth incarnation had gotten him in a much colder state than normal.

He didn't bother to speak to his company and stowed his watch in his pocket; and when he glanced again, the small mage was being scolded by what appeared to be an elf; an actual elf. This was even more foreign; not since his very beginnings had he encountered an elf.

Though the elf did scold the mage for his nosiness before rushing away, it was without a word to Skye that he left. Skye found this distinctively unsurprising; most beings seemed to have a natural aversion to his entire race, for as much as their services were relied upon. Still, it was a healthy enough aversion; their scouts were almost never sent out on any friendly business.

Being pursued as a criminal himself did less to drive him mad than the lack of any sense of duty. There was little to do with this excess of freedom except for people-watch, and so this was all he had been doing in the realm since his arrival. It was an interesting enough place to partake in such an activity, but it still was growing unfathomably dull.

"Skye?"

His dark eyebrows shot up beneath his bowler hat at the sudden, intruding voice near his right ear; and, a moment later, the man fell from his chair, spilling his coffee. The sudden fall and the slight momentary alarm that it caused in the surrounding shoppers was more than enough to distract from a strange, misshapen shadow slipping off from his vacated body, gliding quickly across the floor and to the wall. The elderly fellow that had spoken his name only rolled his eyes and vanished from sight amidst the hubbub crowding the body with its blank, staring, copper green eyes still filled with some lingering alarm.

Whether the conclave had any powers here or not, Skye had no intent of finding out. Once he was a safe distance from the coffee shop or concealed in another store, he would call his own physical body back to him from in front of the coffee shop and make his leave.

Silent as a breeze, his shadow slid down the wall and onto the floor, shaping into something smaller and not remotely human in shape; and the shadow scurried over the floor and blended into another shadow on the floor, though this shadow had an owner already: the quiet, observant mage from earlier. With any hope he wouldn't be noticed for some time, but in the event that he was there were plenty of other shadows to hide in.

That old man probably wasn't alone and probably wouldn't give up quickly, and would undoubtedly thoroughly enjoy his stay in this realm until he lost track of Skye and was called back. It was just the sort of place Tim positively reveled in, and he certainly reveled in any chance to get away from the retched rock he normally guarded.

For now, he was fine with this low vantage point of his, concealed within that mage's shadow, for as long as need be, however uncomfortable it was.

[Elindë]

Something had spooked the purple emperor. It flapped off Hallen’s back and spiralled up around the stairs and out of sight. The other butterflies flew tighter around the mage’s head. Lovai raised an eyebrow; the butterflies’ behaviour described the relevant muses’ situations. Hallen watched the butterfly go, leaving a green and purple trail like thin smoke behind it*. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Something about his shadow didn’t seem quite right, and something must have spooked the butterfly to make it fly off like that. A flock of white-bodied butterflies with transparent wings streamed from the palm of his free hand. Transparent wings meant a question, and by Hallen’s stance Lovai could tell it was one bred from fear. The Elf looked about them but could see nothing. He encouraged Hallen to keep moving but the mage had sat on the floor and was refusing to move. He lay on his back, trying to minimise his shadow.

[*he has very strong synaesthesia, probably linked to his magic, so he sees colours when actually there aren’t any; people have auras, words and music have colours, parts of buildings/streets have colours, the pressure point of brush/pencil/etc on paper/canvas etc has a flash of colour.]

[Κομμα]

(I should have been a bit more careful in my description >< I'll go back and alter it; all he was doing was hiding himself in Hallen's shadow until he can get a decent distance from the coffee shop. Trying not to be seen and to be as discreet as possible and create confusion around where he's just abandoned his physical body; it's at your discretion whether they notice or not. Even if he could possess anyone, it would be his absolute last resort at this point as it would draw attention; but Skye can't possess anyone else in any way at all. The body he's left is his, for use in realms where a physical body is more ideal than the alternative, and he can call it back to himself at any time.

And also, his incorporeal form behaves just as a regular shadow would here; it can't leave solid surfaces and remains completely two dimensional against them.

So so so sorry for the lack of clarity!! Will read over and try to fix mine immediately. D'x *feels terrible*)

[Elindë]

[Okay, no problem And it's fine, I often don't put down enough information either -hug-]

[Κομμα]

Skye realized his mistake as soon as the mage lay on the floor and he had to confine his form to the small edge of shadow still at his side. Whether he had been seen or sensed he couldn't know, but it was troublesome either way; there were shoppers slowing down to stare at the mage laying across the floor on his back and it was creating a slight congestion in the grouping of the crowds. Anyone sent to find him would notice this slight difference and come to investigate. It was a definite issue.

With no other option and with no one closer, he shifted his form into a small dark oval only a couple inches across and a few inches in length and darted into the elf's shadow quick as a flash of light. The odds he had been seen were higher than he liked. The only elves he had ever been near had sharper eyes than any other being he had ever come in contact with. There was still the option of attempting to reason, as it would suffice to change shadows as little as possible; Themaes had eyes like a hawk himself, and it was undoubtedly for this reason that the old man had been plucked from his regular domain and sent by the conclave to locate him.

At any costs, Skye couldn't let old Tim find him. He couldn't be taken back home. His standing in their society wasn't high enough for him to even be allowed the courtesy of a fair trial.

Skye scanned the area and saw the old fellow ordering coffee at the shop he had just left himself; and his own body, still continuing to gather a crowd until he could have the chance to call it back to himself. With any hope he would be moving soon.

[Elindë]

Lovai thought he saw something, a whisper of a shape, dark between Hallen and himself, and then he felt the same thing Hallen must have felt in his shadow. Hallen was up off the floor again now, and large pink, yellow and orange butterflies were weaving in and out of a more and more anxious crowd. Lovai could do the same thing Hallen had done, but then this thing, whatever it was, might just dark back into Hallen's shadow.

Lovai's gaze flicked back to the coffee shop, and to his surprise he saw the completely inanimate body of the sandglass man still sitting there, though Lovai could have sworn it was him in his shadow. He then realised what was going on; he had met someone else who could do such things once what felt like a lifetime ago. But the man's body looked nothing like that Frenchman's had.

The Elf launched himself into action, mainly because Hallen was about to disappear into an apothecary. He grabbed the mage's arm and pulled him into a storeroom. The room was large but once Lovai'd shut the door it was almost pitch dark.

"There," he said, making his voice sound more confident than he actually felt, "there are plenty of shadows for you to occupy in here, and I no longer have one of my own. So get out of mine and explain yourself!"

[Κομμα]

The darkened room was quite a great deal more comfortable, and Skye left the area of the elf's shadow almost immediately; he didn't like the feeling of confinement any more than he imagined the elf or his mage enjoyed the violation of space. Perhaps they would enjoy his explanation even less, but he had no physical voice without physical form; and thus, nothing else could be done for it.

'I must beg both of your pardons; I can speak only telepathically in my current state.' He wondered whether the mage would even understand; his actions so far had indicated him as being mute, but he might still have a grasp on language. 'I also mean you no harm, but there are certain individuals about who mean precisely that to me should I remain near them. One of them is currently ordering coffee where I just abandoned my physical body. I mean only to get out of his vicinity before returning to my physical state, but a disembodied shadow might draw a little attention, you see? I would leave you as soon as possible and you would never hear a word from me again if you so wish. Rest assured I'm no more pleased than you are with the circumstances.'

Scanning around, Skye supposed he could try his luck with this storeroom, were they feeling particularly inhospitable; and he somehow suspected they were. There were enough boxes here to cast adequate darkness even with the doors opened, and though remaining in one place was much riskier, it was safer than leaving the room without cover this close to Themaes.

Skye preferred not to consider the possibility that he had already noticed the anxiousness of the crowd around the elf and the mage, or the two darting into the storeroom; it wouldn't be desirable for his first real business in the realm to lead to anyone here being harmed on his behalf.

[Elindë]

[Heh, I've just been writing adult canon!Lovai so writing teenage muse!Lovai is suddenly strange XP]

Even though Lovai had been told by almost everyone he'd ever met not to be sympathetic to people on the run who spoke kindly to you, he couldn't help but feel something for this being who had been forced out of his body. The Elf was sure he was up to no good, but someone with enough magic to talk telepathically to people who possessed no such powers could probably have forced one of them out of their bodies and taken over. But he hadn't. So the Elf took a gamble and decided to consider what the man had said to be true. Even so he didn't like not being able to see the person he was talking to.

"Hallen's good at distracting people. He doesn't realise he's doing it sometimes. If he manages to move your followers away from your body so you can return to it, will you tell me exactly how you got into your current mess?"

Hallen's ears had already pricked. He didn't like this darkness almost entirely devoid of colour and was eager to get out. Even better, he was being allowed out on his own. Much as he enjoyed Lovai's company, he did like to wander by himself on occasion, something the Elf seemed less keen about. He waited impatiently for the voice to answer.

[Κομμα]

[LOL that's always fun xD]

'Only if you would really like to jeopardize your friend's safety. I'm sure the conclave would have no qualms in torturing him for information if they suspect he has associated with me. There's no need for it, anyway. I can call my body back to me at any time; I would simply prefer to be a little further away from its current locale before I call it back.'

The mage seemed to be uncomfortable in the room, and unsurprisingly so; there were scarcely few races he could recall that were comfortable in total darkness. 'It would be safest to leave here discreetly and head a few stores down. I can call my body back then and explain whatever you wish to know.'

There was no need for them to face any more danger than necessary. Were anything to happen to a resident of another world at his fault, it would only add to the ridiculous false charges he already faced should he be taken back home--as much as he would have liked to go back.

Skye wondered, not for the first time, precisely what he was doing in this realm, wasting time and hassling innocent mall shoppers into hiding him from the conclave, when he could have been on Earth. He could pop back in on Earth mere seconds after he had left it from this place, and as such it was no huge loss in hunting down Brin; but it was no sort of relaxing break if the conclave could find him here.

He should have guessed they could. They could find him anywhere, and they had all the time they needed. It was Skye who didn't, not with them only a few steps behind him wherever he went.

'Shall we get going while we're all still young?'

[Elindë]

Lovai twitched; the stranger's rebuke was like something his father would say when Lovai was being overly enthusiastic. But it would be foolish and childish to feel offended by what Lovai considered aloof words when the speaker was merely trying to protect him and Hallen. Even so, he thought his original analysis had been wrong and that this person was highly dangerous. All the more reason to do as he bid so he would tell them more about himself.

So he tool hold of Hallen's hand, lest the small mage thought he was still meant to run off on his own and opened the door. Not waiting to check that the bodiless presence had slipped back into his shadow, he marched off, pretending that his speed was because Hallen had irked him. Hallen, quick to pick up intentions even though everything else took an age to get through to him, played along, hanging back slightly and pouting like a small child who felt hard done by.

Lovai kept walking, waiting for the voice to tell him when to stop. Hallen's hanging back stopped being feigned and became real as he was whisked past shop after shop which caught his attention. But as they passed a taxidermist, Hallen became distressed. In the window were cases of pinned butterflies. Hallen didn't understand why the insects were behind glass unmoving. He pushed under Lovai's arm and buried his head in the Elf's chest. Lovai shifted his hold on the mage but didn't break step. He was too busy trying to second guess what the adults he trusted would suggest he do if he told them of his and Hallen's situation.

[Κομμα]

The elf took off so fast and unexpectedly, without any sort of response, that Skye very nearly missed his window of opportunity to follow; but he managed to confine his form to the shadow before it fully left the door.

He kept silent, certain enough that his presence must have been felt now if it was before, and thus there was no real need for speech. It was uncomfortable to speak in this form, far too intimate. Everything in this form was a little more uncomfortable lately; as much as he despised the restrictions of his physical body, he had grown so accustomed to it that it was as though he preferred it.

His reaction to the taxidermist's shop was little better than Hallen's; he very nearly tore away from the shadow he was confined to in a subconscious attempt to get away from it. Skye caught himself, however, and cast his sights away instead. In many cases he was fonder of animals than self-proclaimed "intelligent" beings.

As his eyes cast down the hall, he noted the irony that there was a pet shop only a few doors down. Behind them, the crowds already blocked his view of that little coffee shop, and thus no one there should be able to see them. The pet shop should suffice for more than one purpose; there would be plenty of shadows of living creatures to hide in if necessary, and he had been looking for one when he stopped for coffee in the first place.

'The pet store a few doors down. Stop there, find an uncrowded corner, if it's no trouble. I'll explain what you wish to know there and you'll never hear from me again if you so wish.' Friends and acquaintances were nothing but an unnecessary liability; even had the elf and mage been completely unafraid of him, he likely would have shooed them off as soon as he was done with them, or hurried away himself.

[Elindë]

Lovai was getting really unnerved by this voice in his head now. He did as bidden and gave Hallen free rein inside the shop (taking all his money off him first so he couldn't buy anything) and waited for the man to move his body. He admitted to himself that he was looking forward to seeing how it was done, but said nothing. He wondered if this man could read his thoughts.

Great, now I'm paranoid.

He glanced through the shop window. Hallen was staring at a golden labrador puppy with wonder in his eyes, but didn't seem to have any desire to make the pup his own. It suddenly occured to Lovai that the mage might not have seen dogs before, but there was no way of knowing. He stared at everything, familiar and new, with a similar level of fascination.

The Elf folded his arms and leant against the shop's wall. Being just slightly away from the crowd with a hunted man in his shadow wasn't the most relaxing of situations.