Realistic or Modern Summoning Trouble [Closed]

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(I hadn't planned on drama-ing it up.. yet. Doesn't mean you can't toss in drama if you want to though, huehue.)

"Yup, billiards," she confirmed. At least Kyle had an idea about the game, she honestly wasn't that great at it herself. It shouldn't be a problem though, they were just going to play for fun and to get out of the apartment for a bit. If Liz had been off work, she would have loved to come with them. With work, school, and the gala planning, Liz was pretty much so busy she only came home to eat, sleep, and bathe. It pretty much left Kyle and Esme alone with each other most of the time.

"And no, we wouldn't play at Gunmetal, there is a sports bar not too far from here that has a table or two. Most of the people there will probably be drinking and watching whatever sports they have on the televisions there," she got up and went to pick up the playing and tarot cards to put them away. "You want me to be a tour guide eh? I don't mind, but I honestly have no idea where we would even go to spend the day. I'd have to probably try to plan something, otherwise we'd just wander around aimlessly."

She waited while Kyle got changed. She only needed to slip on some shoes and grab her phone, wallet, and keys. It wasn't so late that walking to the sports bar would be considered a bad idea. One of the perks of living in this area, things were fairly close, though that didn't mean it was the safest neighborhood. When Kyle was ready to head out, they left the apartment together and took the short fifteen minute walk to a small shopping center, one of the rented sections was a sport's bar simply named "Dave's Den." She'd only been here a handful of times with Liz and whoever else tagged along. There were a few patrons outside smoking in a designated smoking area, and though there was no smoking allowed in the bar itself, it still stunk of it; mostly due to the smokers who frequented the establishment.

Esme went inside and off to the side, away from the bar itself were two standard billiard tables. They each had a large coin slot to deposit quarters in to 'rent' the table, thankfully Esme had change in her purse and she placed the required amount and fed it to the machine, which released the balls to be gathered. "Go ahead and pick a cue from the rack on the wall," she directed as she gathered the balls and began to organize them into the plastic triangle form that had been resting on the bright green table. Once done, she went over to select her own cue stick from the rack, going for one tat worked for her arm length.

"I probably don't know any official rules. Basically, the balls are either solid or striped, whichever you get in determines which ones you are supposed to knock into the pockets. You aren't supposed to get the cue ball into the pockets and the 8 ball needs to be the last one you try to get."

 

[Tarmagon]

Once Esme had provided the details of their little outing, Kyle absented himself long enough to change into fresh jeans and a button-down shirt. Esme was waiting for him, and she directed their steps through the neighborhood to a place called "Dave's Den". The place smelled of burnt tobacco and spilled beer, but Kyle had dealt with far worse. There were two tables located a distance away from the bar, neither in use, and Esme took some coins from her purse and fed them into an odd mechanism that she then gave a hard shove. There was a clunk and rolling sounds, then brightly colored balls began to appear in a slot at the end of the table.

"Go ahead and pick a cue from the rack on the wall," Esme directed as she gathered the balls and began to organize them into the plastic triangle form that had been resting on the bright green table.

Kyle moved to the rack and examined the various cues racked there. Some were longer, some heavier, and after a moment's consideration, Kyle chose a fairly long cue with the number 21 etched into the wood. He slid the cue through his fingers a few times, deciding that it would serve his purposes. It wasn't like he was a master of the game. Esme finished her ritual with the plastic device, which left the balls in a neat triangle at one end of the table, then went to select her own stick.

"I probably don't know any official rules.," she said as she returned. "Basically, the balls are either solid or striped, whichever you get in determines which ones you are supposed to knock into the pockets. You aren't supposed to get the cue ball into the pockets and the 8 ball needs to be the last one you try to get."

"Umm," Kyle said inelegantly, a frown on his face as he thought. Then his face brightened. "Octria! On my world one person starts with one, and the other fifteen, and they shoot down to the center, the number eight, going in order. I take it here the order is not important, and which set of numbers is chosen by whatever ball falls in first?"

At Esme's nod, Kyle smiled and gestured to the table.

"Ladies first," he said with a small bow.

Fable
(Hmm. He did sort of forget something that might come back to cause some issues. He never changed his ears back.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Ohoho, gonna make some drunk guy notice the ears perhaps?)

"Octria? I mean, you could try to go based on the numbers as well, I don't know. Like I said, I'm not sure on the rules at all, this is just how I've always played it. You're probably going to get some revenge for the card game here, because I am pretty terrible at this." Esme removed the plastic triangle and the balls remained where they were on the table. She placed it where the form was supposed to go, in a small slot above where the balls were dispensed. She took the white cue ball and placed it on the table, placing it between the ball labeled with a 1 and herself. She leaned over and positioned herself to strike the ball with the tip of the stick, slid her arm back before thrusting it forward to hit the ball.

The ball did hit its intended target, but it was a weak shot and they didn't disperse well across the table, "Yeah, I probably should have ask if you wanted to go first. You probably would have done that better." She laughed at her failure, it was too late now, the game was on. She hadn't managed to sink a single ball into any pocket, "You're turn. Hopefully you'll have some pity and not pocket all the balls before I even get a chance to try."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle watched as Esme took her shot, noting that the balls didn't disperse well. Not that it really mattered, because he doubted that he could have done much better. Noticing that one of the striped balls was fairly close to a pocket, Kyle lined up on it, then delivered a slightly over powered strike to the cue ball. The eleven ball fairly leapt into the pocket, but the cue ball careened around the table, striking several other balls before slowing to deposit itself almost gently into one of the other pockets.

"I said I was passably familiar with the mechanics of the game," Kyle said ruefully. "I did not say that I was any good at it. I believe that ends my attempt."

Kyle watched as Esme retrieved the cue ball from a slot at the end of the table and placed it back upon the table. She considered the layout of the remaining balls for a moment, then shifted the cue ball a bit before lining up her shot. A firm stroke of her cue, and the fourteen joined the eleven behind a peculiar window on the side of the table. Esme's next shot also went true, sending the fifteen bouncing about the table to finally join its compatriots. Her attempt at the twelve was not so successful, allowing Kyle to try his hand once more. He managed to sink the one and five in a single lucky shot, but an unsuccessful shot on the three forced him to yield the table to Esme again.

The next half hour passed quickly as Kyle and Esme both demonstrated that neither was a master of billiards. They both managed to flub some simple shots, generating chuckles and giggles respectively, though Esme managed to make a truly spectacular shot from one end of the table to the other. As the number of balls on the table slowly dwindled, their shots became more challenging, culminating in both of them attempting to sink the eight ball. Esme managed to complete the task before Kyle, and flashed him a triumphant grin before placing more coins in the slot to release the balls once more. As she racked the balls, Kyle walked over to the bar, returning with two beers.

"Your prize my lady," he said, presenting Esme with one of the bottles. She accepted with a smile and a nod, then turned her attention back to the table.

Their second game was proceeding much as the first had, though this time Kyle managed to sink the first ball without scratching. As Esme was lining up her third shot, an unexpected voice captured Kyle's attention.

"Hey there cutie," a voice purred in his ear. "You a theater major from the college?"

Kyle turned to see a woman several years older than Esme watching him with interest. She was black haired, wearing what Kyle thought was far too much makeup, and sporting jeans and a rather revealing top that placed her ample endowments on display for anyone who cared to look. Her brown eyes were a bit unfocused, and Kyle was certain she had been here a while, and drinking most of the time. He noticed that her bleary attention was focused on his ears, and he cursed internally. He had forgotten to return them to normal after his little fashion show for Esme.

Fable
(Going to give Esme a chance to intervene. Just FYI, there's a boyfriend who's had far too much to drink about to come out of the restroom if they don't manage to do something.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(You missed the drama, admit it~)

Esme took a sip from the beer Kyle had brought her, stating it was her prize for winning. "I thought you were maybe just trying to be modest or something regarding your skill with this game. We seem evenly matched here." She took another sip of the beer before moving to take her next shot. She was probably going to get worse the longer they played, that tended to be the trend for her. She took the shot, the cue ball rolling into the ball and then bouncing off into a pocket itself. She cursed under her breath at the ball and turned to look at Kyle to see what she believe was a possibly drunk middle-aged woman taking an interest in Kyle. Esme rolled her eyes at the woman and debated if she should intervene. Kyle was a four thousand year old demon, he could take care of himself easily she expected. However, he might do something that wasn't culturally acceptable here, but was fine where he was.

She walked over to where Kyle was being stared at by the woman. "Kyle, it's your turn to take a shot," she said, completely ignoring the woman. The woman didn't appreciate the slight or the perception of competition she had with Esme, a frown grew on the woman's lips as she regarding Esme. "Maybe Kyle would like to play a game with a woman and not a little girl," the drunk woman slurred out. Esme dealt with drunks often as a bartender, so as much what was said was insulting, Esme just stood there with an amused expression. "Stop smirking! You're just a little inexperienced brat," the woman spat out, and Esme's smile remained, but there was an aura of malice behind it now. "This is the only warning I am going to give your drunk ass, go away."

 

[Tarmagon]

A dozen potential scenarios played through Kyle's mind as the drunken woman continued to stare at his ears. He wasn't quite certain what the appropriate response would be on this world. On his world a polite expression of disinterest would suffice to end any such encounter for the most part, and if the other person was too far gone in drink to understand, well then magic, or more rarely force, were perfectly acceptable. Kyle had just decided to go with a polite attempt at deflection when the decision was taken from his hands.

"Kyle, it's your turn to take a shot," Esme said as she approached from the pool table. Unfortunately for Kyle, Esme's arrival and comment seemed to incense his unwelcome admirer.

"Maybe Kyle would like to play a game with a woman and not a little girl," the drunk woman slurred out. When Esme didn't respond, the woman's attitude took a marked turn for the worse. "Stop smirking! You're just a little inexperienced brat."

Kyle felt himself tighten internally as the drunken woman insulted Esme. He could just detect the barest sign of tension as Esme's shoulders drew tight, but when she spoke, her voice was unchanged. Her words however, weren't what Kyle would call, conciliatory.

"This is the only warning I am going to give your drunk ass, go away."

Belated Kyle remembered that as a bartender, Esme had most likely had to deal with many, many belligerent drunks. The major difference here, was that any bouncer wouldn't be on her side. Glancing about, Kyle noticed that the bartender was watching the incipient incident with a look of resignation on his face. Apparently this was not the first time he had seen this scenario play out. The bartender looked to one side suddenly as a door closed loudly, and Kyle could see him mouth the words 'Oh shit' as a huge man emerged from the men's restroom and looked around. His gaze locked on the woman currently glaring at Esme, and he began to lumber towards their table, a predatory grin causing the corners of his mouth to rise. Behind the man, Kyle could see the bartender reaching for a phone as the rest of the patrons of the bar watched the man's progress towards Kyle, Esme, and the woman with anticipation.

"Well crap," Kyle muttered under his breath. "This is going to get, interesting."

Fable
(I can neither confirm nor deny your allegations. Unfortunately, I can confirm that people like this pair do exist. Mean drunks looking for any excuse to make someone else miserable.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Pft, you will one day admit you love the drama. X3 And yeah, not saying there are not people like that.)

Esme didn't back down as the woman tried to stand taller and give her a fierce look. If she had a dollar for every time she'd gotten this from a drunk who had been cut off at the bar, she'd be able to probably afford an entire semester's worth of college textbooks, paid in cash. She didn't pay any attention to the burly man who came out of the bathroom, at least not until she heard Kyle mutter something under his breath. She looked away from the woman to see the large man making his way over to them with a grin that sent a shiver down her spine. This place didn't have bouncers like at the club, it was just the patrons and the bartender, so should trouble escalate, there was little chance of stopping a fight unless the cops miraculously showed up first.

The man draped his arm over the shoulders of the drunk woman, he appearing just as intoxicated - if not more - than she was. "You being bothered, baby?" Ugh, Esme hated people who used the term 'baby' as a pet name for their significant other, though... she hated almost all of them anyway. She rolled her eyes, which unfortunately didn't go unnoticed by the man. "You rollin' your eyes at me?" Esme didn't say a word, she just stared at him, what was she supposed to say? Yes, I was rolling my eyes at you. There was no correct answer for people like these.

"Ooh, looks like she's scared of you! This little bitch ruined my fun, got jealous of her little theatre joke boyfriend giving me some attention. Not my fault," she woman lied, covering her ass since it was her that had been the instigator, not Kyle.

"Honestly, all this posturing is really annoying," Esme sighed. "How about we just go back to kindly ignoring each other's existence for the rest of the evening?" That was the wrong response as the man removed his arm from the woman and stood to his full height, even going so far as crack his knuckles as an intimidation tactic. This was not going well, "Are you really going to start a fight? Seriously?" Esme shook her head and was tempted to just walk away, but she had a feeling even that wouldn't stop this train wreck.

"Well, as much as I am going to hate saying this, but Kyle... if you can magic us the hell out of this situation, I'm not going to blame you for doing it," she said with a small nervous laugh.

 

[Tarmagon]

The big guy guffawed at Esme's words.

"You hear that?" he asked the woman. "Little girl wants her little elf wannabe to 'magic' them away. Give it your best shot, toy-boy."

Kyle moved up a pace, placing himself in front of Esme and directly between the drunk couple. Turning to look at first the man, then the woman, he glanced over his shoulder at Esme and gave a snort of derision.

"This troglodyte and strumpet aren't worth wasting time or magic on," he said, his tone a carefully calculated insult, pitched too low for the rest of the room to hear. "First the painted floozy tries to hit on me, then this product of incest decides to use it as an excuse for a fight that he's in no condition for. They're both nothing but drunken fools."

The woman let out a screech of anger, swinging a powerful slap at the side of Kyle's face as the man roared in anger, swinging his own massive fist at Kyle. Both were certain that the college puke was going down, except that Kyle was no longer in the path of the blows. The woman's slap snapped the man's head to one side just as his fist impacted her chest, and both went down in a tangle of limbs. Kyle dropped to one knee, looking for all the world like a concerned onlooker rather than the object of their hostility, reaching out to gently grasp their shoulders.

"Are you two alright?" he asked loudly as his Power flowed into them, multiplying the effects of the alcohol they had been drinking. He kept the effects from becoming lethal, but not by much. Tomorrow their hangovers would be the stuff of legend. "Bartender! I think they've passed out. Can you call someone?"

Red and blue lights reflecting through the front glass of the bar announced that the bartender had, in fact, already called someone.

An hour later, Kyle looked at Esme with a tired smile. The bartender had been very clear who the troublemakers were, and the other patrons backed his story. Apparently those two had something of a reputation as bad sorts, and the police didn't seem surprised that they had hit each other in a drunken haze. If the rest of the bar's patrons were disappointed that they hadn't seen a fight, the couples departure in a van to the 'drunk tank' more than made up for it.

"Ready to call it a night?" Kyle asked, after the police cruiser pulled away. "I think I've had enough excitement for a while."

Fable
(Drama averted! )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Pft, I'll make up with much more drama later!)

Esme was about give the asshole drunk a lethal stream of insults, but Kyle beat her to it. He placed himself between her and the drunk couple and called them a 't troglodyte and strumpet.' Esme's jaw nearly dropped, and if she hadn't been worried about the big guy's retaliation, she might have even laughed. If there was one thing Kyle's native speech was good for, it seemed it was creative with insults. No one called people those names. Hell, they probably didn't even know what those words meant and were just enraged by Kyle's insulting tone alone.

She wasn't surprised at their violent reaction to Kyle's words, but she was surprised when they had gone in for the attack, but ended up smacking each other instead and careening towards the floor in a heap. Esme couldn't help but wince, because that had to have hurt. She peered over Kyle as he asked if they were alright and calling out to the bartender to call someone, though it seemed the cops had already arrived to deal with the situation. At least the bartender was quick to call them, though if Kyle wasn't a magically inclined demon, they probably would have been in some serious trouble.

"I'm am more than ready to call it a night after that," she replied. "You might wanna... " she paused and pointed to her own ears, "fix that. As much as they are flattering on you, they are a bit of an attention grabber." She finished off the beer, grabbed her things after tossing the left over balls into pockets and putting up her own cue stick. Once Kyle was ready to go, they left, walking back to the apartment. Once inside, she took a quick shower to cleanse the bar smell from her person and got ready to turn in for the evening.

"You can take a shower if you want," she said after she emerged from her bedroom with damp hair. Liz was home, but currently passed out based from the soft snore from Liz's bedroom. She didn't care either way if Kyle took one or not. She flopped down on her bed in long pajama bottoms and t-shirt, scrolling through her phone for a moment before plugging it into the charger ans laying down. She latched onto a pillow and rolled onto her side, her back facing the bathroom door, eventually falling asleep.

The next morning, as usual, Esme's hair was a mess. She rolled over and reached out for her phone to turn off the loud alarm. She sat up and stretched with a large yawn, debating on going back to sleep for just a little bit longer, but then she remembered Kyle wanting to explore the city a bit. She got up and got ready for the day, preferring not to shamble into the living area looking like she'd risen from the dead. Once that task was done, she made her way into the kitchen, her body demanding coffee.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle was relieved when they made it home without incident. Esme vanished into the shower as soon as they got home, leaving Kyle to his own devices. Soon enough she emerged from her room with damp hair, wearing loose pants and a t-shirt.

"You can take a shower if you want," Esme said, then vanished into her room. A faint snore coming from Liz's room let Kyle known she was home, but fast asleep. Quiet shuffling came from Esme's room for a few minutes, but then silence reigned. Grabbing clean shorts, Kyle made his way into the bathroom intending to take a quick shower. His reflection caught his eye, and he stopped, looking at his ears. He still hadn't changed them back. Why not?

"Because Esme likes them this way," he thought, exerting his Power to reshape his ears to something less likely to attract attention. "And what she thinks matters to you."

Kyle kept the noise down as he cleaned up, first himself, then the bathroom. Moving to the living room, he took a moment to set an alarm on his phone before plugging it in. Sleep was slow to come, but eventually it came bringing strange, disjointed dreams. He woke just before his alarm went off, covered in a cold sweat. Rising, he turned off his alarm, then crept into the bathroom to take care of the morning needs. Returning to the living room, he set the room to rights, then moved to the kitchen to start coffee. Just as the coffee maker finished, a soft step heralded Esme's appearance.

"Good morning," Kyle said, handing her a streaming cup of coffee. He had nearly said 'good morning beautiful', but had stopped himself in the nick of time. "I need to go see Greg first thing this morning, but the rest of the day is ours."

Fable
(A day in the life. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Surprise!)

Esme gave Kyle a grin as he offered her an already made cup of coffee. She took the coffee and took an appreciative sip, "You how to treat a girl in the morning," she joked. She held the cup with two hands to help warm them up a bit, taking another sip of the steaming liquid. "Well, I have an idea for places we can go that might interest you. Nothing really crazy touristy like the Space Needle, that would just be a nightmare. I figured since you haven't been around for a couple of centuries, you might want to wander a museum or something. There's actually quite a few to choose from, so choose; art, pop culture, or glass. We can stop and grab breakfast probably after you see Greg... unless you would rather eat before. I'm fine either way."

Kyle pondered for a moment on the options she'd given him to choose from for the museums, seemingly unable to decide between art or glass. "Well, maybe we'll just do the glass option today then. It's not like the museums are going anywhere, so there is always the option to see the other ones some other time. It isn't really a tour of the city, but it's a good place to start. I've never actually wondered if they have those weird tourist bus things, where you ride around the city to see the sights. You'd be on your own there though," she laughed, she really didn't want to be stuck on a tour guide bus.

She went to the kitchen to grab a portable paper coffee cup with a lid, swapping the coffee from the cup to it so she wouldn't have to worry about making a mess spilling it. They'd bought the disposable ones since she didn't want to have to carry around one of the metal reusable ones in her purse. Once she was done with that, she put on shoes and socks, grabbed her things and was ready to go. She waited for Kyle and let him lead the wy this time since she wasn't sure exactly where Kyle worked. When they arrived and Esme met Greg, Kyle was told there wasn't anything for him to do that day, giving them the entire day to themselves. They grabbed a quick breakfast after seeing Greg at a small cafe that was nearby.

Esme used her phone to get the directions to the museum from where they were to figure out what the best transport options were, deciding that just taking a taxi would be less stressful since they wouldn't have to switch buses. Once they got a taxi, she ordered Kyle to close his eyes once they got closer to their destination. The taxi stopped and Esme went over to Kyle's side to help him out, still demanding to keep his eyes shut. t was stupid probably, wanting to surprise him with their destination, but she wanted to see his reaction. She said said she wasn't taking him to the Space Needle, but after seeing that where they were going had access as part of their one of their ticket options, she couldn't resist.

"Okay," she said as she positioned Kyle, "Now you can look." She'd taken them to Chihuly Garden and Glass. She'd never actually been herself, but she'd gone by it a few times going other places and it had always been interesting to her. "I know I said that I wouldn't be taking you to the Space Needle, but the museum here has tickets that allows you to go." She peered at him to see his reaction, she wasn't sure what to expect really. He could find the whole thing boring, but she wished to see his adorable excitement.

 

[Tarmagon]

It had been, Kyle decided as the taxi navigated the streets, a very pleasant morning. Greg hadn't needed anything repaired, so he and Esme had enjoyed bite of breakfast at a nearby cafe before Esme had hailed a cab to take them to her selected destination. She was planning something, and when she demanded he shut his eyes until she told him if was okay to look, he decided to play along. Only after helping him out of the cab and turned him to face something did she give him permission to look.

"Okay, now you can look."

Kyle opened his eyes, seeing the first floor of a building that didn't... His thoughts about the nature of the building chopped off as his gaze traveled up, and up, and up. Three impossibly thin seeming legs sprouted from the base of the building, enclosing a darker core with moving, things, inside. Elevators, but so long a distance. Nothing like the few floors of the apartment building. At what had to be at least three hundred and fifty cubits of height, a disk shaped construction flared out from the core and legs, looking to be nearly a hundred cubits across.

"That is, impressive." Kyle managed to say after a moment. "I can say without doubt that nothing such as this exists, where I'm from. Not even the spires of the Imperial Palace can rival this, and they were raised by, alternate means."

He had kept himself from saying 'my world' and 'magic', but it had been a near thing. The construct before him was staggering. How had the humans done this without magic? Thoughts and concepts swirled in his head, but refused to connect. Cranes, stress, center of gravity? Shaking his head, Kyle abandoned his attempts to figure it out.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say the museum is not up there," he said, his eyes still on the disk seemingly suspended in mid air. "What purpose does it serve? In whose honor was it raised? Is it a monument? A defensive construct?"

Fable
(And she pushed his question button! )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Esme needs to find someone that would make Kyle grin like an idiot. >_>; )

Esme pouted slightly, she had expect more excitement from Kyle, she sighed a bit dejectedly since she didn't get much except for him saying it was impressive and comparing it to a palace on his world. "No, the museum is in that building," she said, pointing to the building they were currently standing before. "It's not for a defensive purpose or in anyone's honor, it was build for a world fair a long time ago, most of the buildings from the fair are gone, but the Space Needle is still here and still popular. Do you not have anything done for amusement where your from? Festivals or carnivals? Besides... the sex one that is." She laughed as she mentioned a subject that had been brought up at an earlier discussion.

She grabbed Kyle's hand and tugged him along towards the museum entrance, buying two tickets for them. The museum was filled with a variety of colorful art pieces made entirely out of glass. Some looked like fragile glass plants and others were more abstract, but they were all stunning. There were multiple galleries to go through, each of them housing different pieces. Eventually the path through the museum went outside to reveal a garden with glass sculptures and a large glass atrium with a red-orange hanging sculpture inside of it. "So, what do you think?" she asked, preparing herself for him to yet again compare something to his own world. She had hoped maybe she could have shocked him with something they didn't have, something to amaze him. Honestly, she thinking about it, she wasn't sure what Kyle really enjoyed. He had said stuff that was pretty much along the lines of natural remedies and such. but she wanted to find something that would make him actually feel happy about finding something he loved in this world.

"Let's walk around here for a bit," she suggested, enjoying this part of the museum more than what had been inside the building. It was like walking through some strange glass wonderland. Kyle probably wouldn't get the reference to Alice in Wonderland, so she just kept that comment to herself rather than having to struggle to explain what she was talking about.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle was still slightly stunned by the 'Space Needle', but Esme was dragging him into the museum. Rather than stand and stare, he allowed himself to be guided inside and into... For once he had no basis for comparison. Stained glass he had seen, blown goblets so thin they were as paper, but this? Not even the Caverns of Halcoron with their crystal formations had such a riot of color and form. The building was full of shapes, strange and familiar, plain and colorful, and all made of glass. A single directing hand could be seen throughout, whether in the shaping of a flower, or odd spires in strangely harmonious groupings. Finally they found themselves in an airy room with glass walls, walking beneath what could almost be a cascade of nynir blossoms worked in glass.

"So, what do you think?" Esme asked as the exited the room to find themselves in a garden where more glass creations meshed with the plants, forming something that complimented both parts, forming a greater whole. "Let's walk around here for a bit."

"I have never seen the like," Kyle said honestly. "I thought your Space Needle magnificent, but it is, when all is said and done, a building. I would love to see the world from atop it."

Pausing, Kyle gestured at a bed of flowers interspersed with delicate blue reeds of glass.

"This though," he said, admiration in his voice. "This is the work of a Master. Save for stained glass, no one on my world has thought to create art from glass, much less use it to compliment life, as well as mimic it. This, might be something worthy of study once we have settled our current, complications."

Kyle paused to study a tall construct of green spines, rising many feet into the air. It looked, grown, but he knew it was created.

"This appears grown," he said, gesturing at the sculpture. "The mind and hand that crafted this understands his world and his medium, melding them together to form something unique with his own hands. Any fool with Power or a modicum of skill can copy, but to create? I think perhaps my world is stagnant, too locked in tradition to truly create new things. Despite all the horrors created, there is also beauty and kindness here."

Kyle couldn't help but glance at Esme and smile as he finished speaking. This place helped him understand. She helped him remain calm in the face of this world's chaos. Maybe their paths would diverge, maybe not. For now though, all was good.

"I guess I owe you lunch," he said. "Let's see what other wonders this garden holds, then seek out sustenance."

Fable
(Oh, demon was impressed. Just shocked speechless. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(To think demon could be made speechless!)

"I would have thought you'd have glass blowing where you were from," Esme replied, mostly commenting to herself rather than to Kyle. "As far as going up on the Space Needle, we actually can. It's not even the tallest building in the world. Don't even ask me what building is, it seems to change constantly as the build higher and higher." She listened as Kyle spoke about the glass sculptures, seemingly impressed with them. She grinned, glad she'd found something he'd be able to just appreciate and enjoy without having anything to compare to.

"Study?" she laughed, "I mean... you could study the art of glass blowing... but I believe you'd have to learn on your own how you would want to use the medium to express yourself. I'm sure where your from can't be all that bad, perhaps on the surface everything seems to be still, but underneath that surface could be the slowest movement of progress. And I won't argue about you buying lunch. They have a place to eat in the museum I think, but it's probably way overpriced."

They wandered a garden for a bit longer, before Esme found the path that let museum visitors have access to the Space Needle. As expected, it was a bit crowded since most of the tourists were there rather than the museum. Eventually though, after a wait in a queue, they found themselves at the top of the Space Needle, able to look at the surrounding area from their high perch. She wanted to ask Kyle if he had the ability to fly and how high, since she wasn't sure he'd ever been this high up before based upon his comments about some Imperial Palace. Esme didn't though, at least until she tried to word it in a way he would understand, but not be anything abnormal to those who bothered to listen to their conversation. "How high up have you been?"

 

[Tarmagon]

Esme made a few fragmentary comments about glass blowing and Kyle's worlds lack of progress before accepting his offer of lunch. They decided to wait until they had left the area, since Esme commented that the food here would be overpriced. Tourist trap, Kyle believed the proper phrase was. They wandered the gardens a bit longer before Esme steered Kyle into a line of people that snaked towards the base of the Space Needle. Eventually they were able to enter one of the elevators, and soon found themselves on the Observation Deck, taking in the spectacular view. Esme seemed to be trying to frame a question, but was having trouble selecting the proper words. After a minutes thought, she spoke.

"How high up have you been?"

Kyle puzzled over the question for a moment before it hit him. His battle form had wings. With all of the people around, Esme couldn't just come out and ask him if he could fly, so she was approaching the question obliquely. His own replies would also have to be circumspect, Kyle decided. This conversation might take some thought.

" I couldn't really say," he said after a moments thought. "After all, it's not like hang gliding comes with an altimeter. Mountain climbing doesn't really count, and the towers at Imperial Palace are only about, hmm, two thirds as tall as this structure."

Fable
(Demon is having a hard time describing things circumspectly.)
(PS, sorry for the brevity. Busy at work today. Will try to add more later if I get the chance.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Esme's progressing yay!)

It was fairly easy to discern what he meant when he said hang gliding. Smart move. It answered her questions though, well, she had only asked one but it had answered some unasked rolling around in her thoughts. The wings weren't just for show then, they were capable of allowing Kyle to fly. He gave her a general idea of how high up he had been though, and that was enough for now. She just wanted to know if he'd ever been this high up before.

Someone bumped into Esme from behind causing her to grab Kyle's arm to steady herself. She got a half-mumbled apology from a woman who was chasing after her young child. Esme sighed, but said nothing to the woman since it was a simple bump. She turned to look at Kyle and realized she was grabbing onto his arm and quickly let go, "S-Sorry! So, only as high as that huh? You never cliff jumped off a mountain then I guess? I'm sure if you ever did that you'd manage to hang glide pretty high up."

She cleared her throat and moved to look at the sky from the observatory deck. She wasn't terrified of heights, but that was probably because she had faith in the Space Needle not suddenly collapsing. If that safety wasn't there, she'd probably be freaking out at the thought of falling to her death. She leaned forward slightly to look down at the garden they had just been exploring, finding it less impressive from so high up. You couldn't really appreciate any of the fine details being so far away.

"Well, we've killed a few hours wandering around here, what to do next," she pondered out loud before grinning at Kyle after a moment of though, "I have a place we can go. C'mon, let's get down from here, grab some lunch and we can go there." Esme grabbed Kyle's hand with a bit of hesitation, but she'd gotten better about being close to him, and she needed to get over this problem. So, she was going to be brave and grab his hand.

 

[Tarmagon]

Esme seemed to have understood his meaning, which pleased Kyle. He had chosen his words properly, and Esme had taken his meaning. Win, win. Someone bumped into Esme, causing her to steady herself on his arm. Kyle had no objections, but her reaction seemed to embarrass Esme, and he carefully made certain he didn't notice or comment as she hastily let go with a stammered apology. He said nothing, letting her ramble a moment before her voice changed.

"Well, we've killed a few hours wandering around here, what to do next," Esme pondered out loud before grinning at Kyle after a moment of though, "I have a place we can go. C'mon, let's get down from here, grab some lunch and we can go there."

Before Kyle could reply in the affirmative, Esme had grabbed his hand and begun to lead him towards the elevators. After a moments shock, Kyle let his fingers close gently around Esme's. No tugging, no squeezing, just a warm presence letting her know he was with her as they moved through the crowd. Much to his surprise, and secret delight, Esme didn't relinquish his hand as they rode the crowded elevator to the ground. Once they were clear of the immediate vicinity of the Space Needle, Kyle cast about, looking for a likely lunch prospect. One place in particular caught his eye, and he gave Esme''s hand a gentle squeeze before pointing it out. A sign proudly proclaimed MOD pizza,and the business seemed brisk.

"What do you think?" Kyle asked as Esme's gaze followed his pointing finger. "They seem to be popular with many types of people."

Indeed, Kyle could see what looked like college students sitting beside folks in suits. The restaurant was not filled to overflowing, and from what he could make out through the windows, service seemed fast and table turnover happened steadily. Marks of a well liked and well run establishment.

"I'm game if you are," he said with a smile. "I don't know if you've ever been there, but it looks interesting."

Fable
(Hungry demon craves..... pizza! And thinks Esme is doing awesome. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Apologies again for the delay. If you need me to change anything, lemme know.)

Esme's heart was beating quickly from nervousness at holding Kyle's hand. However, it was just easier to navigate through a crowd doing so rather than hoping they kept up. She kept telling herself it wasn't that big of a deal, normal people could do this, so she should be able to as well, but the nervousness never abated. Once they were out of the tourist crowd around the Space Needle, Kyle squeezed her hand and pointed out a pizza place. "I'm fine with pizza, though don't expect to get any spicy toppings."

They made their way over to the restaurant, having to wait only about five minutes before being led by a hostess to a table. A waitress was prompt in taking their drink and food order. Esme ordered a pepperoni pizza that should have been enough for two people. If Kyle was still hungry after that, he could always order something else. They ate and chatted about the museum a bit more, Kyle still impressed with what he had seen there. She was glad she chose their destination wisely, though she was certain he would have probably enjoyed any museum they went to.

"So, the next place I have in mind is called Pier 57. They don't have a ton of things there, but it should be fun enough. They have an arcade, ferris wheel, an carousel. Honestly, seeing a guy like you possibly riding a carousel is sure to be amusing." Esme smirked at the thought of Kyle on the ride, though she wasn't sure he'd enjoy it or find it pointless. I mean, it was pointless, but it was just... fun. That was something she'd bother him more about back at the apartment, what he did for pointless fun.

When they finished their lunch and Kyle paid the bill, Esme guided them to the Pier 57, it actually wasn't that far, only a ten minute drive really and it looked like it was close to another museum, so if she wanted to drag him there afterwards she could. The first place he dragged Kyle to on the pier was the carousel ride, explaining what it was and waiting to see his thoughts.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle looked at the strange contraption that Esme was dragging him towards with some trepidation. He had never been a good rider, and while the thing was turning at what appeared a sedate pace, he had no assurances that it would remain so.

"This device goes no faster?" he asked Esme, uncertainty in his voice. "I admit that this appears somewhat similar to a device used to train riders for mounted combat that I, had a bad experience with."

The pain of his broken arm had been excruciating, and he hadn't yet mastered the skill of pain blocking, so the the hours after he had been violently ejected from the training machine remained vivid in his mind to this day. At Esme's reassurances though, he gathered his courage in both hands as she purchased tickets for them, then watched as the carousel stopped, letting people disembark. Esme came back, holding out a small square of paper to Kyle, then heading to a gate that led into the carousels area. Kyle pale face went even paler, but he clenched his teeth and followed, presenting his ticket and gaining admittance.

Esme had chosen a brightly painted house to be her steed, leaving Kyle with the choice of a lion shaped creature with wings, or a house with a horn coming out of its forehead. Unicorn they called it here, he thought. Mounting the unicorn statue, he glanced over at Esme, and tried to keep the tension out of his voice, even as his knuckles turned white where he gripped the 'reins' of his steed.

"So, how long does this 'ride' last?" he asked in an almost normal voice.

Fable
(Another secret from Kyle's past starts to emerge. ) (boy, we're mean to our characters)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Oh my! Nervous about horses?)

Esme at first thought she had been mistaken in Kyle being nervous about riding on a fake animal in a slow circle. However, his mentioning of riding on something similar for training and having a bad experience made her wonder if he was uncomfortable with the ride. He still took the ticket from her and followed her onto the ride as the went to pick a mount to ride. She laughed a bit as Kyle picked the unicorn rather than the lion, she hadn't expected that to be his pick. She tilted her head to the side as she took in his stiff posture and deathgrip.

"You can just tell me if you want to skip this ride. I don't want to force you to do something you're uncomfortable with. The ride isn't very long, just around five minutes most likely. If you want to try and ride it, just hole onto the pole like I am and that's it. It's not going to buck you off."

She waited to see if Kyle changed his mind, but he didn't and soon enough they announced the ride was starting and to remain seated until it came to a full stop. Carnival music played loudly over the speakers as the ride slowly began to move at a slow and even pace in an endless circle, the faux steeds going up and down slowly. It was generally a relaxing lazy sort of ride, she'd only ever really seen children be nervous about the ride their first time on it. She wondered if what Kyle was trained on as a child was a mechanical bull, since that had always looked like a pretty rough ride and without the padding around the bull, if you were thrown off you'd get seriously injured.

Just as Esme has said, the ride was only about five minutes, the ride slowing to a stop and the music faded until it was silent and a voice asked them to disembark the ride, "See, not so bad right? Maybe we should head to the arcade next." She glanced around for a moment before seeing a sign for the arcade and pointing towards the building. "Who knows, maybe you'll be really good at the video games. Oh! I hope they have DDR, that would be interesting to see you play." She grinned at Kyle and grabbed his hand to drag him once more to their next destination.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle breathed a sigh of relief as the ride ended. It had remained sedate, and while he hadn't been able to actually enjoy it, he had been able to relax his white knuckled grip and sit relatively normally by the end. As they exited the ride, Esme grabbed his hand and began to tow him towards a building with a brightly flashing sign proclaiming ARCADE in red and green.

"See, not so bad right? Maybe we should head to the arcade next. Who knows, maybe you'll be really good at the video games. Oh! I hope they have DDR, that would be interesting to see you play."

Esme dragged Kyle into a large room filed with cabinets covered with bright pictures that emitted loud and dischordant noises. Each had its own screen displaying moving characters moving through fantastic backgrounds. Some had people, usually younger, manipulating controls to cause the characters to perform the most outlandish actions. Esme steered him towards the rear of the building where larger video games were located. These involved simulated car seats and controls, as well as some that had moving seats, obviously designed to mimic the motions shown on screen. Opposite each other on the back wall were two immense machines, both with what looked like platforms in front of them.

"They've got DDR!" Esme exclaimed. "I don't know the other game, but I want to see you try this one."

Esme vanished to 'get some change', leaving Kyle to watch a young man and woman play the DDR game. Kyle didn't understand why they were stomping on the platform, until he noticed colored squares on it. Arrows moved up the screen, and when they entered outlines of their shapes at the top of the screen, the pair would step on the corresponding arrow on the platform. The arrows seemed to travel in time to music blaring from the game, always hitting the outlines on a beat or counter point to a beat. Interesting. Kyle moved to the other machine, Pump It Up, it's marquee reclaimed, and looked it over. The same principle seemed to apply, though this one had five colored pads, not four.

Esme returned just as the couple vacated the DDR machine and tugged Kyle over to it.

"I'll put it on easy," she said, feeding quarters into a slot on the front of the machine. "Just try and step where it tells you to."

Before he could protest, Esme did things with small buttons on the front of the machine and a figure appeared on the screen as music began to play. Arrows began to scroll up the screen, and as each one reached its outline, the figure mimicked stepping on the proper pad. The steps were much simpler than the ones he had watched, and after a couple of fumbles, Kyle felt the beat of the music and began to hit them accurately. When the song ended, numbers displayed, claiming he had gotten 90% right despite his early errors.

"Make it faster," he said, and Esme manipulated the buttons again. The song was different, and the arrows closer together, making them hard to see. Less than 30 seconds in the music stopped with a harsh buzzing noise.

"Not quite ready for that one," Esme quipped, grinning.

"Can you make the arrows move faster as well?" Kyle asked. "And start the same song again."

Esme shrugged and tapped buttons, causing the music to start again. This time the arrows moved twice as fast as they had before, giving him less time to react, but spacing them out farther. Kyle let himself go to the beat of the music and shut out the pictures flowing behind the arrows, concentrating on them. When the music ended he snapped out of his trance like state to see 99% displayed.

"I think I like this," he said with a grin. "Going to join me?"

Despite his best efforts, Esme demurred, so he finished the game on his own, then followed her as she led him about, insisting that he try various games. Pac-Man was, odd. Consuming dots in a maze while evading ghosts didn't seem to be his thing, though Esme was good at it. The Fast and the Furious proved to both of them that driving wasn't going to be happening in Kyle's near future, though something called Afterburner proved that he was at home in the air, even if it was in a simulated plane. After a bit, Esme allowed him to direct their steps back to the rear, where Kyle tried out the Pump It Up game. It usually only took a time or two for him to figure out his mistakes, and when Esme finally managed to drag him away, it was late afternoon.

"Thank you!" he said as they stepped out into the afternoon light. Taking both Esme's hands in his, he raised them to his lips, kissing the back of each before letting them go and smiling at her. "That was the most fun I've had, well, ever. I'm glad you were here to share it with me."


Fable
(Demon loves dance games. And the company. And the relaxation. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Once they get to New York, bai bai relaxation! Sorry it's short compared to your post, but more chance for dialogue.)

Esme wasn't sure what she had been expecting when Kyle got on the DDR machine. He was teaching her to dance, but could he really apply dancing to a video game like this? She'd barely been able to ever keep a decent score on the easy level. Watching him expertly step on the pads of the game made her shake her head and laugh at herself. She'd been hoping to see him get flustered by the game, but he wasn't. However, he was horrible at the racing games. He had no concept of driving since he'd never had to before, and she'd only given him knowledge of words. If he was going to stay here, he was going to have to eventually learn, and this game was pretty much lesson one; stay in your lane and drive straight as you can, both of which he failed.

When they finally left the arcade, Kyle thanked her rather cheerfully. She grinned at him, glad he was having fun and wasn't some snobby type who couldn't possibly want to do such plebeian activities. She was startled when he took her hands in his and kissed the back of them, her eyes widening and her cheeks flushing. She awkwardly tried to laugh off what he had just done. He was in the 'heat of the moment' of having fun. "We have one more thing to do here before we leave," she said, changing the subject slightly as a means to distract them both. She pointed to the ferries wheel, "Its not as tall as the Space Needle, but it's also a much different experience."

Esme directed them to the queue for the ride, due to it's slow and relaxed pace, they were in line for a few minutes before it was their turn. Esme stepped into the small pod with Kyle following shortly after. The door was secured after the ride attendant went over the basic rules of the ride and then simply said 'Enjoy.' Moments after they were in the pod the wheel began to slowly turn with them ascending upwards. "It's really great when you get to the top, even if it's only a short event. Also, a lot less people than the Space Needle all fighting to get a look."

 

[Tarmagon]

"We have one more thing to do here before we leave," Esme said, obviously trying to change the subject as she pointed to the ferris wheel, "Its not as tall as the Space Needle, but it's also a much different experience. It's really great when you get to the top, even if it's only a short event. Also, a lot less people than the Space Needle all fighting to get a look."

Kyle didn't let anything show, but he knew he had made Esme uncomfortable. He started to apologize, but then stopped himself. He knew that he was going to keep messing up and displaying friendship and even affection to Esme, she just brought it out in him, and maybe she would eventually come to realize that he wasn't doing things with any ulterior motive. When he expressed something, he felt it, the end. Hopefully she would come to believe him, and more importantly, believe she was deserving of honest caring and affection.

Kyle wanted to pull Esme close and just stand there, enjoying her company as the world moved slowly by, but he was certain she would be made uncomfortable by any such move, so he settled for standing just outside what he considered her 'safe zone' with his hands folded safely behind him.

"This must be spectacular as the sun sets," he said. "Perhaps we could come back, once our immediate problems are no more, and share another ride. But on a more immediate note, how is your comfort level with the upcoming ball?"

Kyle turned to look Esme in the eyes, letting his sincerity show clearly.

"I think you've made amazing strides with my presence," he said. "But I want you to be comfortable and enjoy the upcoming evening. Is there yet anything I might do to ease your mind in this matter?"

Fable
(Demon wants to hug, but is learning patience. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(D'aww Demon will perhaps one day get hug. Perhaps at the Gala itself, huehuehuehuehue~ )

"I don't doubt it is nice during a sunset," Esme replied to his comment, "But, we can always try to come back like you suggest if you really want to." She paused before she answered his question regarding the impending gala. "I mean, it's a gala so I'll really sort of be very out of my element there already. I mean, it's obvious I can dance with you and such without really being too flustered, but that's in familiar territory. Honestly, most likely I'll probably just end up sticking close to you out of one simple fact of familiarity. So, I guess it works in your favor," the last line ended with a soft laugh. It was true though, Kyle was a more familiar presence than the other 99% of those who would be attending.

"As far as trying to ease my mind, just be you? Wait, that needs a bit of a correction. I'm a bit worried the setting might cause, well, a dramatic flare on your part. I mean, it's a concern I guess. Basically, I'm worried you'll do something in the 'heat of the moment' or something. Not sure if that makes any sense to you. I know you said you didn't really enjoy these types of events where your from, so I'm not sure if something would trigger you one way or the other."

Esme fidgeted slightly and sighed before rubbing her hands on her face before letting them settle back onto her lap. She sighed and shook her head at herself before glancing at Kyle, "I'm sure it'll be fine. I hope it'll be fine." By this time, they were back at the bottom of the ferris wheel and the attendant opened the door. Esme stepped out first and weaved her way down the exit path before stopping and glancing up at Kyle, "Is there anything else you want to see today? There is another museum, or I can drag you to a park and we can play on the swings." She was interrupted by her phone chiming and she quickly pulled it out to look at the message.

"Ah, well seems like we're going to have to end today's exploration. Liz wants me to go for a dress fitting session," she sighed. She quickly typed a message and sent it, her phone chiming again a few seconds later. Esme returned her attention to Kyle, "She says you are not allowed to tag along, sorry. It's close to here, so if you want to head somewhere I can just go there by myself and meet up with her. However, I have a strange feeling your ancient chivalry probably is going to have you want to escort me." She smirked at him in a somewhat challenging way.