saintveritas (saintveritas) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2018-01-13 20:12:00 |
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It was snowing, but not where Sarissa was - specifically, where she walked. Whereas snow fell and clung to the hair and clothes of people scurrying down the street, no flakes touched her. She even left a trail of melted snow in her wake. Such was the effect of the Summer Lady in winter. It wasn’t an effect she wanted, though. She’d rather just walk down the street, shivering like a normal person. Because then she’d be a normal person, rather than one of the Queens of the Summer Court. She’d never wanted it - but now she was stuck with it. She lifted the hood of her jacket over her head, both to cover her face so people wouldn’t necessarily identify her with the snow melting, and to maybe pretend that she was just as normal as they were. *** Connor stumbled out of the bar, and into the street. He wasn’t too drunk to walk by any means. But the outside world was a harsh reality after sitting inside all evening. He pulled his pea coat tight to his shoulders, and though it did a good deal to block the cold, it couldn’t keep the chill away entirely. He noticed the woman walking by, and the snow seeming to melt in her wake. Others might not catch such a detail, but Connor was observant. And very aware of the existence of magic in Madison Valley. “How do you do that?” he asked her, his tone even, curious but not accusatory. *** Drat. Sarissa hadn’t wanted to be spotted. But since she’d been seen, she wasn’t going to run away. That would just get more attention. Turning, she looked at the man who’d just come out of the bar. “Do what?” she asked innocently. *** Connor glanced behind her, at the trail of melted snow. It was practically slush in her wake. He gave her an incredulous look. Sure, he’d been drinking, but he wasn’t delusional. He knew what he was seeing, and he’d been exposed to enough magic users in Madison Valley to know that it was entirely possible she was using magic. “The snow is melting around you.” *** Double drat. So much for playing innocent. The man wasn’t as drunk as he might appear. “So it is,” she said, as if she’d just noticed it when he did. “What do you make of that?” *** There was a time Connor never would have considered magic as a viable explanation. It just wasn’t a thing, where he was from. It existed only in books, television, movies and the like. Not reality. It was hard for him to accept that magic could be real, because the thought that someone could create a false reality, or create an object out of nothing was completely absurd to him. But he’d met enough people and seen enough first hand examples to know that magic was very real in Madison Valley. And it was a viable explanation for just about anything that otherwise didn’t make sense. “Obviously you’re some kind of witch or wizard.” *** “Obviously you’ve met a few,” Sarissa said, choosing to acknowledge his words rather than to confirm his theory. It was also obvious that her powers were getting attention, though, so she put in a concerted effort to stop it - at least momentarily. The snow stopped melting around her. Sarissa smiled, as if she’d meant to do that all along. “What about you? Are you one?” *** Connor shook his head. He might be a lot of things, a lot of questionable words could be used to describe him, but witch or wizard was not one of them. “No. I’m not. Magic isn’t actually a thing where I’m from,” he told her. “It’s something I’m struggling to accept as reality here.” He knew that it was true, but knowing and accepting were two very different things. “So what are you?” *** Now that was a tricky question. Even if Sarissa told him she was the Summer Lady - which she didn’t like to tell anyone - it wouldn’t mean anything to him. And explaining it in any way that would make sense would be too long and complicated. “A magic user,” she responded, because really, that was what it came down to. She just happened to be a very powerful one. “So if magic isn’t a thing where you came from, what is?” *** “Crime,” Connor said without hesitation. How sad was it that that was his first response. But it was true. Crime was rampant where he was from, especially in Boston. And he’d heard the call to clean up the streets. He and his brother were on a mission to rid Boston of its worst criminals. “It’s a lot like this place,” he said, referring to Madison Valley. “Except without the weirdness that comes with magic users and werewolves running around.” Which wasn’t a slur, even if it sounded like one. Magic and werewolves were something Connor had no experience with before he’d come to Madison Valley. *** “I hear a lot of that,” Sarissa replied. There was no judgement in her words. She would’ve preferred to live in a world with no magic, actually. “Madison must be a change for you.” Because while it wasn’t exactly paradise, crime was usually kept in check. A side effect of having so many superheroes here. *** “It’s definitely not Boston,” Connor said with a shake of his head. He actually missed Boston. He missed hunting down the bad guys and taking them out of the picture. It was dangerous, but highly fulfilling work. Even when they got shot at for their efforts. He shrugged, rolling his shoulders until his neck popped. “So this place, it’s like a vacation. A really weird, I never asked for it kind of vacation, but vacation just the same.” *** “Everyone needs one,” Sarissa said philosophically. She was definitely seeing this as a vacation herself. And the longer she could avoid going back to the Summer Court, the better. “Anyway, I won’t keep you.” She was a little wary of this man who’d just stumbled out of a bar but could still be so lucid. She’d have to figure out how to interact with him in the future. “I’m Sarissa, by the way. I work at the flower shop.” *** “Connor,” he told her. He didn’t mention where he worked. He didn’t think it was important. He figured he wouldn’t see her again after this, though if he did he would be friendly. He didn’t realise she was wary of him. Stumbling out of the bar reeking of alcohol but completely logical in his thinking was no big deal for him. It was the byproduct of a lifetime of drinking. .Ireland wasn’t so prudish about it, as America was. “See you around,” he said with a nod. She was weird, he thought, but nice enough. She hadn’t flashed her magic at him like some of the other magic users he’d met. He was actually thankful for that. *** |