Mage: The Awakening PbP - Preludes

Tokiwong · Sep 8, 2006

Thessaly’s Prelude

Saturday, August 26th, 2006

Grammy died three weeks ago today, she died of natural causes in her sleep. She was decent age approaching eighty, and had lived a good life. Raised several beautiful children, and somehow balanced life as one of the Awakened. It must not have been easy but somehow she succeeded.

She ran this book store in her later years after Grandpa Joe passed on. He was a sleepwalker, and a had a talent for telling outrageous stories to most folks, though to those in the know, they sensed a kernel of truth. But now the store was quiet, it was early morning, and the town was quiet. Main Street was quiet, Old Man Peters was walking his dog, the dog was probably as old as Old Man Peters; or so one would think.

The bell on the door rings as it opens. The first customer of the day, a young woman that Thessaly does not recognize. Not a regular, maybe a prospective student? She wore a loose blue top with low cut jeans and tennis shoes. Her dark hair was in braids and she had light caramel colored skin, with soft nervous green eyes.

She walks in and does not make eye contact with Thessaly and instead goes right for a shelf looking totally lost.

Shayuri · Sep 8, 2006

Allison...no, Thessaly. Thessaly. She still had to pound that into her head sometimes. Especially when working the pleasant, yet mundane tasks at the bookstore. Times like these, 'shadow names' seemed remote and kind of silly. Even a little juvenile; like kids playing games of make believe. Which wasn't so far from the truth maybe...except that the 'make believe' was real, and the solid reality of the world was what was false.

She tried to make eye contact with the newcomer and smiled warmly. That was easy. Thess had a face made for smiling. Round, pixie-like cheeks spattered with freckles gave her a sort of girlish cuteness that smiling only magnified. She was physically unimposing; short, slim of build...easily passing for a girl younger than her twenty years. Her hair was longish, growing out since summer started cooling, and a bright, memorable shade of orange-red that set off against the green of her eyes very nicely...though a trifle spoiled by her glasses. She was wearing a royal blue shirt under a set of acidwashed denim overalls (giving her what her mom used to jokingly call a 'farmer Bessie' look).

"Hi. Is there anything you're looking for in particular, or just curious?" Thess was terrible at sales talk. She made up for it by not even trying; instead just talking to people as they came in as new aquaintences. This wasn't hard, as she was by nature the sort of person that liked helping people find what they were looking for.

Tokiwong · Sep 8, 2006

Shayuri said:
"Hi. Is there anything you're looking for in particular, or just curious?" Thess was terrible at sales talk. She made up for it by not even trying; instead just talking to people as they came in as new aquaintences. This wasn't hard, as she was by nature the sort of person that liked helping people find what they were looking for.

The girl turns, she looks away, “I uhh, I am looking for a history book, I think. I mean, this is a book store right?” She looks around and shakes her head, “I am sorry, I… I am looking for a book on ancient cultures…” she sighs.

“Maybe I am in the wrong place,” she looks confused, “I am not really sure what I am looking for,” she finally admits.

Shayuri · Sep 9, 2006

"Hey," Thessaly says, holding up a forestalling hand. "Take it easy. It's okay. You came in here for a reason. Why don't you sit down for a little bit, until the rest of you catches up with your feet? There's a chair over there...or if you'd rather look at some books about ancient civilizations, we have a whole wall full of them over here. Atlantis to Aztecs down to Zoroasterians."

She gives the newcomer a look over and adds, "Want a cup of water or something? You look a little lost."

Tokiwong · Sep 9, 2006

Shayuri said:
"Hey," Thessaly says, holding up a forestalling hand. "Take it easy. It's okay. You came in here for a reason. Why don't you sit down for a little bit, until the rest of you catches up with your feet? There's a chair over there...or if you'd rather look at some books about ancient civilizations, we have a whole wall full of them over here. Atlantis to Aztecs down to Zoroasterians."

“Thank… thank you,” the young woman replies with a faltering smile, “I am sorry, I have had a long night. I heard about your store online and I was wondering if like I could find some books on… I don’t know.”

She walks over to the section that she was directed to, “Oh wow.”

Shayuri said:
She gives the newcomer a look over and adds, "Want a cup of water or something? You look a little lost."

"Yes, why thank you," she smiles brightening up.

Shayuri · Sep 10, 2006

Thessaly leaves the woman for a moment to pour a glass of water from the sink in the backroom. The little galley fridge there yielded some ice to drop in it as well.

A bit peculiar, this situation. Who was this girl, and why was she so confused? Could there be magic involved? Maybe she'd had a spell put on her to cloud her mind, fog her wits... But why? She laughed quietly at herself. That was the hard part. Once you knew, the temptation was to see everything as related. Coincidence -did- still exist. Not every vaguely odd occurrance was of occult significance.

Coming back out, she offers the cup to the woman and says, "I'm Allison. Are you new in town?"

Tokiwong · Sep 10, 2006

Shayuri said:
Coming back out, she offers the cup to the woman and says, "I'm Allison. Are you new in town?"

“Allison,” the young woman replies, “Nice to meet you, I’m Cymbeline, it’s a mouthful I know. People usually just call me Bell for short. I am a student at the university, but,” she replies with a hint of southern twang, “I was raised in Georgia.”

“I am sorry I am just rambling, when I get nervous I start talking too much, what my friends tell me back home. I am sorry, I was… man its weird and this is going to sound totally crazy, okay? But I have had these dreams, of a place… like you know a past life or something? If you believe in that sort of thing,” she says nervously.

Shayuri · Sep 10, 2006

"You don't have to be embarrassed here, Bell," Thessaly assures her. "I believe in a lot of things, but one thing I -don't- believe in is crazy. That's just a word people use to make themselves feel better about things they don't, or can't, understand."

She shrugs. "You don't have to tell me anything, of course...but I've had some experience with this sort of thing. I might be able to help if you tell me more."

Tokiwong · Sep 10, 2006

Shayuri said:
"You don't have to be embarrassed here, Bell," Thessaly assures her. "I believe in a lot of things, but one thing I -don't- believe in is crazy. That's just a word people use to make themselves feel better about things they don't, or can't, understand."

Bell looks comforted by Thessaly’s words, “I never thought about it like that. I just figured I had to be crazy to even think that what I was dreaming was even remotely possible.”

Shayuri said:
She shrugs. "You don't have to tell me anything, of course...but I've had some experience with this sort of thing. I might be able to help if you tell me more."

“I am not even sure where to start,” Bell sighs taking a drink. She puts the cup on a table and starts thumbing through books, “I just felt like this was a place that I could find some answers. When I saw it on the web, I guess I felt lucky that it was so close to the school here, you know?”

Shayuri · Sep 10, 2006

A tingle of deja vu whickered down Thessaly's scalp and spine. This girl was saying things that she herself might have said not so very long ago. Could it be she was close to Awakening? Or maybe she was in the -process- of Awakening! What was it Daniel had said...people Awakened either in dreams or in a sort of dream-made-flesh that mages called 'mystery plays.' Suppose this Bell was having one of those, and she, Thessaly, was part of it!

With some effort, Thessaly smushed the wave of excitement down to manageable levels and took hold of the situation. She didn't know anything...and from what she'd gathered from Daniel's rather cursory explanation, participants in a mystery play weren't -aware- of the strange events. It was far more likely that Bell had merely had a funky dream that bothered her, or perhaps had even brushed a higher realm in her sleep. It wasn't so strange...anyone could have a moment of prescience or inspiration. It didn't make them all teetering on the brink of Awakening.

Just stay calm, and treat this like you would have before.

"Well, I'd suggest you start with the dream. Don't worry about trying to make it all fit in order just yet, unless you can remember it that way. Instead, just focus on the images that are easiest to remember, or have the strongest emotions attached to them, and we can take it from there."