[Sodium_noir] Red Squared [China Town Friday]

[Jennie Teakle]

Joint Post

Temple of the Five Dragons
Chinatown
Early afternoon-Friday

Christine & Aurora



Christine follows the meandering path through the Temple gardens. The
air is cool and filled with the sound of waterfalls and the delicate
dissonance of wind chimes. The gardens themselves beneath the white,
overcast sky are measured and orderly and very soothing. The
tranquility is uncanny; easy to believe that she is in some secluded
valley, folded deep within the Himalayas. Impossible to believe that
this Temple is actually set in the hub of cantankerous, sleazy Gotham
City. Christine drifts around the paths; it's like the place has
unseen currents. She comes to a halt near a stone structure that looks
impossibly ancient - a group of three stones beneath a wooden shelter.
It's just possible to see the worn etching of dragons coiling about
these altar stones. Five dragons. It doesn't look like all that much
but Christine has a powerful sense of deja vu when she first
encounters the shrine and although she can't explain it, a sense of
familiarity. She is strongly tempted to reach out and trace the faint
outlines of the carved dragons but something warns against. She
thrusts her hands deep in her pockets, pausing to stare at the stones.
It is incredibly peaceful here. It is an eye of calm and silence and
Christine realises that it reminds her of St Bridget's.

Through the subtle, constant dappling of light and shade within the
garden, patterns play out that Christine can not yet grasp but a
sudden piercing glint of silver through a sparse group of small trees
draws Christine away from the altar. Stepping through the veiling
foliage, Christine spots Bastette who dances like quicksilver, flowing
and merging. It's graceful and potent and Christine feels the fine
hairs on her arms lift with static electricity. Christine stands and
watches quietly, in plain sight.

As Christine watches she can probably discern a nameless tune being
hummed by Bast as she flows and sways.

How long has time gone now? When did she start? She is starting to
feel hungry, but also whole... a part of her does not want to stop.

Then a voice Bast has been waiting for speaks in the back of her head,
"watcher nearby."

The ceremony is complete, as long as she cares for the suit, the suit
should also care for her. She would need to renew such a ceremony
every once and a while, but at least, for now, she has another new,
young, spirit companion.

Bast slows, finally stopping, and turns to Christine.

"I wondered when you would finally arrive," she says with a smile,
retracting her claws.

Christine shrugs and smiles back.

"Sorry," she says. "Things to do and all that. Free now, though."

Christine cocks her head on one side and glances at the sleek and
becoming Bast suit.

"Shiny," she comments. "But, I'm thinking, not real practical for
daytime, streetside . . . ?"

Also, thinks Christine but doesn't add, it's Aurora I really came to
see. Not sure what I'd have in common with the silverclad superhero.

"Buy you a coffee?"

"Best idea I've heard all day," Bast smiles.  "Thank you, I'm done for
now," she whispers to the suit.

It slowly peels away, merging into the necklace and belt, the necklace
looks a little too gaudy for normal wear, though the belt seems to fit
quite well with the jeans that form in place of the silver, more
revealing leg coverings from before.

It really is Aurora now, standing in front of Christine. She is about
5'4", with curly, shoulder length red hair, the loss of the suit seems
to be part of the curling process... or maybe the suit straitened her
hair? Her green eyes glow brightly in the sunlight, which she
obviously enjoys as she is well-tanned.

Athletic, but not overly defined, more like she does a lot of walking
and dancing than lifting weights.

Her boots certainly are proof of that, as are the well broken in
bluejeans and, oddly, a white t-shirt that advertising a local high
school basketball team. She looks like she could possibly be a new
local, maybe even a recent grad from high school, but she seems older
than that, maybe college age?

"I hope you know this town better than I do," she comments, picking up
her walking staff, probably the only thing memorable from the night
before that ties her to the woman who just a moment ago was standing
in front of Christine.

"Sure," says Christine. "Been a Gothamite maybe 2 or 3 whole days now.
Practically an expert!" She grins, self deprecatingly.

"So, the quest for caffeine in China town . . . " Christine considers
this thoughtfully. "Have to say that I didn't see a Starbucks - or
similar - on my way through." Christine shivers theatrically. "See, I
just arrived here from Seattle. I get scared if I don't know
where my nearest Starbucks is."

Aurora tilts her head, yes, she did seem a little cat-like, even now...

Christine slants another smile at Aurora. "Joking! How about pearl tea
if we're going somewhere local? Saw a Bubble Tea stand not far from
here. Or we could ride the bus and go Downtown or to Neon City. I know
those places better."

"I think somewhere where we blend better would be wiser, personally,"
Aurora looks at Christine and then indicates herself. "I'm generally a
free spirit, is there anywhere you feel you need to be, or should we
just flow with Fate?"

Christine shrugs again. No. There isn't anywhere she needs to be. Not
anymore. Free, thinks Christine firmly, ignoring the disorienting
emptiness inside.

"Fate decide, then." Christine sighs and scrubs one hand through her
short red hair.  "I'm going to need to get used to that. Might as well
start now. Let's go."

Christine begins to move - any direction. She has a feeling that here
in the Temple grounds, she will find her way out most easily by not
thinking too hard about the route.

"Hey, " she begins, impulsively as they step back onto the busy China
Town streets. "I got lots of questions for you. Don't know where to
start really. But maybe I'm curious about the Temple. It's a special
place isn't it ? I felt something, er, something . . ." Christine
sighs. "Okay I don't really have the words for what I mean but *do*
you know what I mean?"

Oh great job, Christine. Let's impress the girl with your keen insight
into the Unseen Universe. Christine does a mental headslap but decides
to blunder on anyway.

Aurora nods "Commonly, it's called a 'Node' but any kind of 'place of
power' will do. If you have a different name you want to name it, name
it how you feel you need to to work within your own beliefs."

Christine neatly dodges what looks like a washing line hung with dried
fish that is strung under the awning of a Chinese grocery. "Okay," she
comments thoughtfully. "Panic mentioned that word. I think something
like that also operates at in the Chaste Dragon but it's  . . . really
different. It has a definite . . . personality. A presence." Christine
recalls the sense of being watched and warned but also, in a weird
way, protected by the  Node Being(?) at the Bordello. Protected,
mostly from herself and her own ignorance, reflects Christine glumly.
Moving swiftly on . . . "And at St Bridget's too, right?"

Aurora nods, listening interestedly.

"Also, when you were dancing," Christine continues, "I could feel,
erm, like energy, like electricity against my skin. Was that something
*you* were doing to me?"

Christine does manage to stop herself from adding a joky "I mean, in a
purely magical sense, course!" because she nearly got herself into
trouble making a similar, light hearted pass last night. Even
supposing Aurora were interested, Christine is not in any place to
invite a new lover into her life right now. But she could badly do
with a friend and last night, Christine had let Bast & the Scarab
down. Not the greatest start to a friendship.

Aurora starts to explain about her dancing but Christine continues...

"Oh," Christine's eyes lower sheepishly, "sorry about bailing on you
and the Big Gold Dude last night. Did you manage to . . . y'know.
Rescue that girl?"

Aurora smiles warmly to Christine. "We were all in your place once.
I'm just glad that like me, you found at least one person who won't
judge you for what you feel is right at the time that you feel it.
My... faction," she obviously searched for the appropriate word that
Christine would feel comfortable with, "Of... our kind, is a little
less... rigid." She thinks for a moment, recalling Christine's other
questions, "We did rescue the girl though, and that's what's
important. Without your insight we might have stuck around too long.
As far as the energy you were feeling, it was a ritual I've come to
call 'dancing with spirits.' If you'd like to go into more detail,
I'll happily oblige, but maybe somewhere with a coffee." She winks.
"Needless to say, we each have our own gifts, and we each therefore
have to learn to master those gifts in our own ways. Some ways can be
used often, and shared, but others are highly personal and need to be
figured out for ourselves, unfortunately." She shrugs.

Christine halts, struggling with a variety of emotions, wrestling with
this new information. To the left, along the frenetic outdoor market
that is Main Street, Chinatown in daytime, is the Bubble Tea stand and
to the right, the bus stop.

"And so which way do the Fates pull?" Aurora smiles to Christine.

"Damned if I know what Fate wants," mutters the Seer, "but right now I
*need* a coffee. Let's go to Neon City."



TBC

		
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