The Universe's Mixer

Looking over his spells one last time, Howl nodded in satisfaction. Between his books and his own training, he felt sure this was it. Or as close as he was going to get. That little voice in his head nagged that he couldn't be sure, and to not set himself up for disappointment. There was really no predicting the City's influence. By now, he'd already begun to think there was some sort of consciousness behind it. There had to be, or why would someone like him have been brought here? It couldn't be coincidence that one of the greatest wizards known to his world was abruptly relocated here.

( The time had come to contact Jareth. )

As it turned out, the key Jack had found in his pocket belonged to an apartment that held an eerie resemblance to his royal suite in the palace. So, he now had a job and a place to live and it seemed very unlikely that this City had any plans on letting him go.

Having seen plenty of strange things in Wonderland, he had perhaps an easier time than most in coming to terms with the idea of the City, though he wasn't entire sure he'd ever be used to it.

Particularly the bit about the streets. They kept moving and so far Jack could see no rhyme or reason to it. He'd gone to dinner at a place that was just around the corner from his apartment, only to come out and find that either the restaurant had moved or his apartment building had moved.

Whatever the reason behind it, the fact remained that he was now lost in the heart of the City and possibly miles from his home. It was already starting to get dark, so Jack's guard was up as he set out and started to walk in a direction that he hoped would lead him somewhere familiar.

He considered trying Fred's pager for a brief moment, but he'd just met the woman-he didn't want to be calling her for help. For that matter, it was just a little setback, and he was sure he'd be able to find his way eventually. Hopefully...

The glaring sign over his front door drew Howl's eyes upward as he entered, shaking his head in disgust. WIZARD JENKINS. It was just the sort of flamboyant sign he would have chosen, if he'd wanted the attention. Which he didn't. Not now, anyway. Next thing he knew, people would be coming to him for spells and charms, and that meant work. Howl had already learned he didn't need his own money in this City, so there was really no point in advertising something he didn't need to do to get by. He'd have to do something about that sign, and soon. Which was typical of Howl's attitude toward anything remotely involving work. Think about it, then procrastinate to the point where nothing actually got done.

( He entered the castle... )

Jareth looked up from his standing position in the lamplight at a curiously perched Great Horned Owl on the branch of nearby tree. It was dusk and nocturnal creatures were waking and out looking for prey. In this case, the owl was looking for prey. Or had been. A very unlucky chipmunk was twitching slightly in the grasp of one of the owl's talons. The final throws of life reluctant to leave the small body. He nodded his head to the owl, which seemed to nod back at him before eating his catch, and said, “Enjoy your breakfast.”

( Then he looked around from his position in the park. )

Veronica sipped loudly at her frothy coffee drink. She had her laptop open, and was looking through job listings.

She had web sites open for the City's police department, and something about a place called Angel Investigations...

She sipped again thoughtfully.

Did she want to try to be a part of the FBI, here? She thought so. She could restart her dad's business, but if these Angel people were already doing that, would she end up looking for lost dogs?

The coffee shop was pretty quiet, so when the door opened, Veronica's head turned toward it to see who was coming in.

"Well, let's give this a try", he suggested to himself.

While speaking with Jean-Paul, a thought had occurred to Howl. He had no idea if his magic still worked in this place. His feelings torn between hope and fear, he wandered the streets, eventually finding himself in a park. He located a conveniently secluded spot, and sat on the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to start out slowly. He took a blade of grass, breathed a few words over it, and watched it bloom into a flower. Easy stuff, but a great relief none the less. Feeling more confident, he let his magic increase in difficulty, conjuring butterflies, then cloud shapes, finally transforming himself into a dog. He only held it for a moment, but it was enough.

( He still had his powers )

"We are pleased to say that the two of you have successfully completed your rehabilitation programs and will be provided with immediate release to The City. Remember to mind the food pyramid, drink four full glasses of water a day, and start each morning by looking in the mirror and giving yourself a compliment. Like, My! I am a very handsome fellow. Or, I love myself! Don't forget! An apple a day keeps the monsters away. And always look both ways before crossing the street! Here, have some multivitamins for the road."
( Cherry, orange, and grape flavored chewables! )

"Hey, so how was your weekend?"

River kept her eyes shut, even though she knew they'd made some kind of mistake. That, or--also a possibility--she'd developed an immunity to one of the drugs they were giving her. Two orderlies were in here, moving her around so she could get washed up. They would undo her restraints, stand her up, give her a quick shower, and put her back the way she was, complete with the needles in her arm.

The orderly who was being asked about his weekend wasn't going to tell the one doing the asking that he'd spent the weekend getting stoned, and was still baked when he'd come to work this morning. River knew, then, that he'd screwed up her dosage. What would happen would be his fault.

"Oh, it was cool," the guy said. "Y'know. Hung out. What did you do?"

The second orderly undid the restraint that held her legs, then lifted her off of the gurney. River let her head loll to one side.

"Me and the wife went down to the museum with the kids," the other answered. "There's some dinosaur exhibit going on they've been begging me to see. Wasn't too bad."

She didn't open her eyes, she just listened. The shower started and she could feel the water, and the stoner orderly holding her up by the arms. They kept chattering, and River progressively took more of her weight on herself, until she was standing on her own.

She sighed loudly, and opened her eyes. The two men looked a little stunned.

"I'm sorry," she said, meaning it. Then she knocked their heads together and watched them fall into an unconscious ball on the floor. She knew she had only minutes before someone realized what was going on, so she grabbed a hospital gown from the chair, wrapped it around herself, tied it, and ran.

An alarm went off when she hit the stairwell to leave the floor.

A bulky orderly was waiting at the door of the floor two below, and River kicked him hard, then hit him with the heel of her hand. She kept running, mumbling under her breath about the number of steps from her point of origin, and how far it might be to the door...

When she saw someone coming, she hid, climbing up into the ceiling and holding onto the sprinkler.

She waited.

What the...?

Where the...?

This wasn't New York. Which was precisely where he thought he was supposed to be. It was where he intended to go when he left the Underground, at any rate. It wasn't exactly like he wasn't familiar with the destination where he could be mistaken. No, Jareth knew New York -had been there on many occasions. It was not some place foreign to him.

( This... place. This was not New York. This was some place else altogether. )