she's a dark dizzy merry go 'round, a (tangoaurora) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-03-12 10:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | aurora sobremesa, circe marinos, complete, player: alice, player: squid |
Every little bit
Summerview was small. It was smaller than Poughkeepsie, reminding her more of Woodstock than anything else. It put her a bit at ease. Although a bit may even be an exaggeration, as she hadn’t felt this much magic in one place since she left The Summerlands, and it made her feel more on edge than she had since she first. Well. Since she first escaped.
The other pro so to speak, was that the town had clearly been designed with the old magical races in mind. There was hardly any Iron, it was almost a shock to her system after living in New York City for so long. It was like suddenly coming in from a smoky room and breathing clean air for the first time in a very long time. There was also a natural well of magic below her feet — not Summerlands Magic but still — and that was comforting in a way that she hadn’t expected. Her u-haul was back in Atlantic City, specifically at the motel that she had stayed at last night. She had driven up in her little, unremarkable but reliable Honda to look for a place to move to in the town. The small apartment complex, hardly more than a few buildings, a little off the beaten path (but close enough for her to walk to most things, it seemed), well loved with lots of mini gardens and a small playground, looked like the best option. Though instead of going to the office first thing, she instead pulled her coat tighter around her against the wind, secured her scarf, and started to walk the perimeter. You know. Like a normal person. Not being overly materialistic meant that Circe could settle quickly; she’d unpacked and arranged her belongings, meagre as they were, fairly well and was satisfied with the general feel of her home for now. It felt comfortable and her trinkets settled the atmosphere to make it hers. Which is was this time, although she had the ability to rent a nice two bedroom that second bedroom was currently empty, a reminder that for the first time she was in the mortal realm on her own, without a sibling. This was her choice, she wasn’t here to mind someone, wasn’t looking out for one of her younger and more trickier siblings. It was nice, if lonely, and she felt that was likely why she opted to return to Summerview instead of one of the human cities she could’ve stayed in. There were more beings around here, more races and different people she could be herself around. Enjoying the area, and the fact that she wasn’t right in the town, Circe took some time from organising her crystals in order to go out, go for a walk, get some air after all the unpacking. With a bright hat on her head, a tool mostly to keep the tips of her ears warm rather than hide them, Circe wrapped her poncho around her sides and headed around the residential area, basking in the cool air and breeze to enjoy the morning. Aurora was, truthfully, still undecided on if this was fate, Titania’s hand showing itself, that something happened to scare her enough to move back into a magical community, or if it was just some timing that would be hilarious much later on. The fact that it happened the 50th year after she had escaped from her fifty years of imprisonment made her want to march back to her homeland to have a word with...Whoever. Someone. Yeah, actually, that wasn’t happening. But it had happened. No matter if it was an accident, punishment for surviving, or a reward for surviving, it had happened when it did and she was moving. It was decided. Now she just had to figure out where she would lay her head, and how big it needed to be considering her enormous book and record collection. A one bedroom wasn’t going to cut it. At least from what she had seen on the community board at the gas station when she had stopped for a snack on the way in, this town was a lot cheaper than the Bronx. In her defense, it was all these distractions that meant she didn’t notice the other Pixie until she actually came into view. Her eyes caught her, and the tingling on the edge of her senses suddenly made sense. It was probably good that it was a surprise. If she had sensed her before she was in sight than Aurora might have actually bolted. Instead she ducked her head and continued walking, eyes on the ground. Usually Circe was good at sensing others and their magic, at the very least she was aware enough of them. Being back in Summerview, there was magic all around, under them, above them, around them. Circe was reminding herself to tune out the feeling of the magic supporting the barrier, the little pieces of all the magic users going into it here and there. Portions of them left in Summerview like whispers. She missed it, in all honesty. The melting pot of different species, together and fairly content, safe. It felt like nothing else she’d lived with -she’d lived mostly with pixies her whole life, save the short breaks with siblings. And even then, she was with another pixie. This was a type of freedom, of lone adventuring she’d never done before. It was enlightening. Even as the source of the new sense, a magic user clearly not sure if her interest in the floor was anything to go by, made to just walk past, Circe figured she might be a neighbour, and at least trying would be a good attempt, “Good morning,” she still had her bounce in her step, blond hair catching in the wind, cheeks a touch pink in the cool air and a smile broad on her face, but not too manic -she needed to remember to stay natural and not look like a Cheshire cat. “Lovely day isn’t it?” An attempt at conversation could easily be waved off, but Circe had to at least try. The woman was loud. Not in the way of volume, her voice was pleasant, even if it was different from the Bronx flavour that her ears had long ago grown accustomed to and had soaked into her own words. She was loud in that her energy, her magic and everything was vibrant. Such a contrast to the way she kept everything nonhuman about herself wrapped up and stuffed in the corner of her mind like the dirtiest family secret. Like if she never used it or thought about it then she could forget what came with it and go unnoticed by the rest of her kinsman. The latter had worked for the most part, aided by the fact that she stayed away from magical Hotspots, lived near so much iron that the meager glamours she did to soften her features and hide her ears was really all she could manage easily, magical stores low to say the least. So the woman was jarring enough that Aurora’s steps stopped outright, caught off guard and blinking at her in obvious surprise before her eyes went skyward. The New Yorker in her won, the proud sort who took pride in not being phased by shit. It had her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, “Is it? It's cold.” The observation was flat as her expression evened out, scarred gloved hands shoved back into her pockets as her eyes settled on the apartment behind the other Pixie’s shoulder. Easier to focus on than the reminder of — well, lots of things, “Good morning.” And she yanked a subdued smile from somewhere, stubbornness winning the day even if it was awkward in comparison to the other Pixie’s. “It’s brisk, yeah, but look at that sky,” nice and clear, the sort of sky that you could just tell it was going to be a nice day, the clouds were far off, the sun had plenty of room to get shining, it was going to be nice, even if it was a little chilly. “It’ll warm up later, maybe not hot, but it won’t be just as cool.” But even then, Circe never minded just making sure she had a hat on, maybe some extra layers. It wasn’t a struggle for Circe to stay bright and positive, it wasn’t a fight for her to be friendly or appear open and calm. It was second nature for her. She took her time to stand there, arms wrapped around herself in her own way to keep warm, content to stop for a second and chat if the other woman was going to engage, and if not, well Circe would just carry on with her walk, it was fine either way. “I like mornings like this, no one is out too early, they stay in long enough to let the sun warm up a bit, means the roads are quiet.” And that meant she could go a walk, have a think, not get too caught up in other people, because Circe had a habit of doing just that. It was definitely a sign of how much things had changed with her perspective that Aurora’s first impulse was to be as grouchy as Mrs. Callahan, the oldest Librarian as the library she had worked at who also attended the same church Aurora did. Whether it was sunny or cloudy, she always had something to complain about, “Could be muggy.” Was muttered before her eyes dropped back down to the other woman’s. Her head turned towards the main road, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck for a moment, it actually made her calm down for a moment. The other Pixie’s magic not as bright if she could not see it for a moment, even if it was still a beacon to her other senses, like the sun warm on her back. Warm, but uncomfortable. Painfully familiar, something that should have felt like home but couldn’t, not anymore. Finally, Aurora cleared her throat and steeled her shoulders, turning her back around even if her eyes settled on her shoulder more than her face, “Is it always this quiet here?” The grouchiness forcefully wiped out of her voice, leaving something calm and withdrawn, but at least not crabby, “We uh. We might be neighbors, I am Aurora of the — ” Ah. Well. that wasn’t what she planned, she barely cut herself off from giving some proper, Summerlands esque greeting that she hadn’t had to utter for so long it surprised her that it was still a reflex. It must be the fact that she was talking to her first non-blood related Pixie in a century. Shrugging her shoulders, Circe pushed some of her hair behind her shoulder, tucking it behind her ear under her hat, “Sometimes, mornings are hit and miss,” lots of species that didn’t like daylight or the early mornings, “It gets pretty lively sometimes though.” And if memory served that wasn’t always a great thing either. “Oh you’re moving in?” Circe tried to contain the beaming grin, she knew too much could be off-putting, going for something a shade more easy going. “I’m Circe, welcome around then Aurora.” It was good to meet neighbours, people she’d share some space with, even if it was just to pass in the hallways. “Well, I’m 2C, so you just give me a shout if you need anything at any time, okay? Sugar, some tape, help moving in.” It was good to offer, because it didn’t seem like Aurora was too comfortable with the idea yet. Aurora had thought that hearing confirmation that some days things were blessedly busy around here would make her feel better. Something she was used to, a bit of normalcy after her life had been upended — voluntarily, mostly, but also not, because she was motivated by fear all over again — would be more than wanted, but needed. But thinking of a crowd pressing around her in Summerview was more terrifying here than it would be on the subway. It had been a long time since she had been surrounded by magic, and she thought it was a good thing that he apartment here was likely going to be a lot bigger than in the city. It was entirely possible she would be spending the majority of her time hiding in it. 2C. What if Circe ended up being above her? That bright smile that reminded her a bit of her aunt and her sister all at once, could she wake up and sense the other woman above her and think — no, that was silly. But it was also suffocating, “I might be. Still deciding. But I’ll remember that, I’ll try not to be one of those neighbors.” It was said with a strained smile, she meant noisy or really anything that Circe didn’t like. Or really, anything that drew attention. “I’ll uh, see you around, if I move in. Be well.” Her hand lifted in another almost awkward wave. Circe was getting an impression that Aurora was fairly shy, withdrawn, maybe a little bit introverted. Which was exceptionally far from how Circe was, but she understood that people needed space at times, and accepted that maybe she would need to reign it in around Aurora if the other pixie did live in the building. She offered a restrained smile and a wave back, “You too, hopefully I’ll see you around either way.” Even just in passing, hopefully Aurora would come to feel comfortable here in Summerview, just like Circe had. |