Flashback I Think You're Projecting (Fallon)

[Gad]

Spring 15th, 511AV 20th Bell Slag Heap Fire "Come on show me the ones show me the ones!" Gad's face held a bemused expression as he looked through his brows and the man jangling the dice. "Come on! Papa needs a new pair of-" As the cubits tumbled across the packed dirt and dust on the clay ground around the slag heap, Gad's already ejected astral fingers washed over the dice and manipulated the faces until the appropriate ones were pointing skyward. He was only missing a few fingers on his non-dominant right hand to the Projection magic, and so his cover could be easily preserved. The gambler moaned and returned Gad's die, along with his silver Mizas. "Petching aye, here's your coin." Gad grinned. "Another go?" "No no, I'm not down for all that today Gad. Everyone knows better than to play against you. Better quit while I'm ahead." The man chuckled and rose from his squatting position and Gad mirrored his movements but the young wizard's laugh was false. Indeed, it was becoming a problem that Gad was gaining even a modicum renown as a winner. People didn't want to play against you if they thought the would loose. Well, of course they would loose, but if they wouldn't play in the first place then that provided a real problem. Just now, Gad had only won back the money he'd lost in their first dice shoot. This breaking even shyke just ain't workin. Gotta find a some new rubes to sucker, or I'm gonna spend the next Winter huddled up against the Slag Heap for warmth. At the thought, Gad turned his attention to the blazing mound of noxious refuse that didn't seem to even wane in intensity. Most places would just put the fire out, but Sunberth wasn't most places he supposed. And most people steered clear of it for that reason. On the plus side, that made it painfully obvious when someone form out of town reared their heads in the city, especially in a local hot spot like this. Had Gad's eye had just caught view of one such tourist. She was short haired for a woman, and she didn't stand out too much from the normal human trash that milled about the area, except her demeanor and body language. Sunberthers had a real laid back way about them, and she seemed much too...curious...for her own good. Gad walked over to the young woman, and as he got closer he realized she was about his age. As he closed the distance he called to her. "Hello lovely. Looking for love in the light of Sunberth's slag fire?" He grinned like a wolf. "Don't tell me, you're not from around here, are you?" Gad extended his left hand for her to shake. The ghostly fingers from his right hand moved around behind her, and hovered there, waiting for the chance to make their move. Gad didn't know for sure what they'd be moving on, but he was sure that he'd need to be prepared for whatever it was. "Name's Gad, but everyone around here just calls me astounding." He laughed at his own lame joke. Something about this girl just screamed 'I have Mizas, rob me.' Gad would soon find out how much of that was true.

[Fallon]

Fallon watched the flames of the Slag Heap burn, eyes glazing over with thought as she took in the warmth. Winter had indeed been cold, and even now it still had a strong hold on the land. So what if she received the occasional odd glance from a local, she was not doing anything wrong was she? She was simply minding her own business, nothing more, nothing less. She rubbed her hands together, thinking to herself. She would have to leave soon or so she hoped, no doubt when the next trade ship came to dock. She inhaled and heard the approach of another, the murmur of words that were attempted to sound endearing. Of course, Fallon was no fool, she knew of the people of Sunberth and more over of flirts. An eyebrow was raised, her eyes looking down at the outstretched hand.

Something did not feel right, there was too much in the way of smiles, too much in terms of confidence. But there was something else that made Fallon uneasy. He could not have been much older than her, but it was clear that they had two very different upbringings. And up to something. Her hand went into her pocket, the other hovering over the hilt of the Kukri. Back straightening she addressed him properly “Far from it, and if you’re looking for love you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Her eyes glanced over her shoulder, and then back to the boy and his still outstretched hand “And if you’re like the rest of these petchers, then I hate to break it but the last of your friends have already got my coin.”

In honesty it was only partial truth, in the past she was well aware of the costs of travelling to and from places. More so by boat, and unless she had the mizas she knew she would have work her way onto it. Which, for the most part she had been trying to achieve all season. She barely scrapped through the winter, and now that spring had come she needed all she could get. Zeltiva was waiting after all. But here still stood this boy, this Gad who tried to make bad jokes and work his way around her and into a false sense of security. Had this been a more reclusive location, she would have called about her Djed and her projection, but to do so here with so many eyes was risky to say the least. Her eyes locked upon him, and did not waver “You want me to shake your hand or something now?”

[Gad]

Clearly, this girl would be no easy mark. Good, Gad liked a bit of a challenge. Then again, looking at her closer, he wondered if perhaps she was more than even The Great Wizard Gad could handle. No, not possible. His eye moved to her hand, which had gone for the hilt of some sort of short blade. He grinned wider, and began to circle her, not too close, but near enough that she'd have to follow his movements if she wanted to remain as vigilant as it seemed she was planning to. He was just at the perimeter of what could reasonably be considered 'personal space'. "No my dear, but you could've at least spit in it, and I think you would've made your point quicker. I don't know where your from, but in Sunberth we aren't so quick to reject offered hands and hospitality." He shrugged. "Your loss. And I only asked about looking for love, because many a young romantic finds their way to our bonfire for that reason. I would never bark up your tree. Unless you wanted me to. But, I guess you don't want me to." Gad's voice sounded crestfallen and he let out a spout of depressed air to accompany it. His eyes moved back to her hilt, then he continued to speak in a faster clip, and went on circling her at a leisurely pace. "So that leaves us with your other derogatory slant. By the way, that was a a good deal of slander for someone you've only known a few chimes, don't you think? Kind of mean really. What if I was a god in disguise, or a wish granting wizard? At any rate, you mentioned my friends getting all of your coin. Hm, that's good point to make to an unpredictable delinquent like myself, and it might be a good deterrent- if it were true." Now Gad stopped and began to rub his chin and looked up into the night sky like he was putting the pieces together in his head. His eyes rolled slowly in their sockets back to the girl. "It's suspicious that you'd bring that up, unless it was what you wanted me to think. And, if it were true, I wouldn't need help to think it, don't you think? Bah, but who has time for all that thinking? I want you to think about something else." Gad's eyes shifted to behind the girl, and a look of recognition "Oh heeey!" He said to the imaginary person behind her, while simultaneously tapping on here right shoulder. When she moved to react to it, Gad shot out his active, meat hand to grab for her hilt. He wasn't trying to draw it, just place his hand on it so that she couldn't.

[Fallon]

Fallon leaned back, raising her chin as she met the eyes of Gad. He was a sneak, with a venomous tongue designed to manipulate and to question every part of her. The hairs on her neck prickled, shoulders straightening as she weighed up his words and flickered through them for a more truthful intention “I can assure you, I have had enough of wizards to last me a good life time. Wish granting or not.” She struggled to keep her voice tamed as she watched him once more turn his gaze to her, twittering on about his own suspicions. Not that she cared, for as she crossed over his words and brought together her own conclusion she was set on the notion that he was indeed up to something.

And then she felt that tiny tap upon her shoulder. Her eyes slid to her right, head tilting slightly out of reflex to look at who was possibly there behind her. Or at least until thought stopped her part way, along with the rough grabbing of the hilt with his hand. The girl jerked away, eyes turning to Gad and flaring up, her lip curling into a snarl. For all intentions it was to cause him to back off, not to fight. Fighting here would only cause trouble after all and it something she wanted to avoid. But then her thought returned to that simple tap, that little touch that had set it all off. Something that was indeed not normal.

Skin prickling she swung out her other hand in a push to make distance between them. There was indeed no one behind her, she knew that now. But what had he done? A trick? Quick hands? She would have seen his hands move towards her shoulder if he did. As the process went along though, and all options were quickly scaled down, did she finally come to her own set conclusion of what the outcome could be. Her eyes narrowed, as she finally decided upon her answer. Not that she could bring herself to question it straight off.
Projection? Perhaps… perhaps… shyke. How good is he?
“What do you want?” she was straight to the point once more.
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