metempsychosis

metempsychosis @ 2011-03-02T12:00:00

2011-03-02T16:45:49Z

Who: Diana and anyone!
What: Picnicing
When: Lunchtime
Where: Near the Reflecting Pool

Spring was in the air, Diana could feel it. Oh, sure, there was still a nip in the air, but the sun was shining, the birds were out, and all around the country tourists were starting to think about making that yearly pilgrimage to their nation's capital to see some pretty pink blooms on some otherwise unremarkable trees.

Not that Diana minded, her tips got insanely good with that first rush of tourism, only to be eclipsed later in the year by all those annually patriotic folk who come out for the Fourth of July celebrations.

For now, though, she just had time to consider what was coming while she munched contentedly on a sandwich and watched the sky reflected in the water before her. A few geese waddled by and looked at her expectantly but she resisted the urge to toss them some of her bread, if only because she didn't care to get mobbed.

This was not an Alfred Hitchcock movie, after all.

And, of course, she was saving the best part of her lunch for last: a truly decadent, very large chunk of fudge.

Talk about a good day!

metempsychosis @ 2011-02-10T22:01:00

2011-02-11T02:47:30Z

Who: Jadyn & Hayden
What: Jade's back in Washington and has a run-in while he's out and about.
When: Thursday, February 10; Late Afternoon
Where: Random Coffee Shop
Rating: TBD, likely low and no higher that PG-13 for possible Jade language.
Status: Incomplete/Closed

Jade was frowning as he stood, looking at the prissy little yuppy waitress, likely a freshman in college, staring at him with a look that had to be something like surprise. Really, he would understand if the surprise was in his way of dressing. He always stood out among people, well, ok people outside of LA, as it seemed everyone was just about as outrageous as he was or totally use to it. And to be honest? He thought he had dressed toned down today. Black pinstriped slacks, nicely tailored to his slender frame, paired with a shirt artfully ragged with a plain looking black vest. And the look was completed by pointed black cowboy boots and an old fashioned brass watch. It was rather steampunk, but good.

Ok, so maybe it could have also been his hair, shaved at the sides and worn down around his face, the many piercings and tattoos, or the black eye shadow, liner and mascara he wore along with a dark red lip stain. Still, not the reason. It had garnered an interested look at first, but the momentary look of surprise came as he ordered a medium sized black coffee; no sugar, no milk, to artificial sweetener, no flavoring. Just straight, black coffee.

“Are you going to ring it up, or am I going to have to speak with you manager about your lack for providing a basic service to your customer?” Yeah, ok, so he was just a bit annoyed. But then… Wachington… No the whole state of Maryland, left him annoyed. It was where his parents had lived, where they were now just buried, and where they had dragged their black sheep of a son home to in order to forgo his perfect, selfish lifestyle in order to finish raising his siblings.

He waited impatiently for his total, paid it to the cent, to tip for her, and went to wait for them to finish pouring a simple coffee, eyes watching them like a hawk. He knew how servers took to annoyed people like him, and it was not fondly. So he would have to be sure they would keep themselves behaved under his scrutiny. But as such… well, he wasn’t paying much attention to those around him, be their attention good or bad.

metempsychosis @ 2011-02-03T18:04:00

2011-02-03T23:11:13Z

Who: Vanessa and OPEN
What: Working in the bookshop.
When: Early evening
Where: Nook & Cranny

Vanessa didn't really keep "normal" business hours and her posted hours on her door amounted to if you see the lights on, we're open! but then...well, her best clientele didn't come by at eleven in the morning. So she tended to open late in the morning and stay open later in the evening, catching most of her crowd on their way home from work. Many times, she'd stay down in the shop, doing work, and she'd nominally be 'open' then as well. Sometimes she just sat in the one old wing chair she had just for the purpose and read one of her books while sipping tea.

This evening saw her on the phone with a colleague who was telling her if she had any very old books -- none of this post-nineteenth century stuff! -- regarding the ancient myths and tales of the world, she ought to mark their prices up. Apparently, he went on to say, someone had been going around -- and not just here in town, either -- and inquiring after books in this line and buying them up when found. "Book collectors," Vanessa laughed, "as much completionists as any other collector."

They might have continued their conversation if not for someone entering the shop at just that moment...

metempsychosis @ 2011-02-02T22:18:00

2011-02-02T04:11:19Z

Who: Hades/Hayden and open to Persephone/Harper
What: He takes a different way home, a different line, and maybe it's just a bit of the fates working again.
Where: On the metro.
When: Tuesday late afternoon

He settled on the mostly empty car because it seemed the newest. There was something unsettling about the older trains, the more rickety cars, the way the ghosts seemed the haunt the hell out of anything old, anything they could attach themselves to. It made it difficult for him to enjoy the town's hot spots, especially the Vietnam Memorial where it was like a mecca for dead soldiers.

And sometimes he wished he could create for them Elysian Fields again, a place to find comfort and to have a hero's rest. Unfortunately that was beyond his power and so he avoided that place like the plague.

His backpack was shifted into his lap and he curled his arms around it, dropped his chin on top of it and stared blankly out the window across the way.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-26T21:48:00

2011-01-27T02:36:36Z

Who: Derek and....?
Where: Starbucks near GWU Campus
When: Wednesday evening
What: Studying! Presumably.

Derek could have sat with his laptop and textbooks in his room, it was true. But the idea of staying in just hadn't appealed, so he'd schlepped his stuff over to Starbucks with the idea of getting some coffee and a snack. Also there was this one barista there who was totally into him. He knew this because she wrote her number on his cup when she handed it him.

So that had him feeling pretty smug. And really not paying attention to the Very Important Studies he really should have been doing. But he was dutifully staring at his textbook, with it open to the correct chapter and everything!

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-26T14:25:00

2011-01-26T19:49:51Z

Who: Magnolia Landis and Samson Digby.
What: Grocery (and wine) shopping; coffee.
Where: A grocery store in Brookland.
When: Wednesday, January 26th; early afternoon.

Magnolia had never been fond of wintertime. It meant layers of clothing, on and off and on and off and fixing her hair every time she went in and out -- sometimes her make-up, as well. One had to make themselves presentable in her field of work, after all. Who wanted to hire a woman to plan their wedding that looked a mite desheveled? Exactly! No one. Clients wanted someone that looked capable of planning their own wedding, if not as if they would be shortly attending it. Thankfully, when it wasn't raining or snowing or too windy, it didn't take much effort to appear as such.

But right now, it was lightly snowing, the sort that would melt just as it hit the ground, leaving the pavement slick and slushy (and her hair, dew-kissed; which was the point of the current ponytail style). Where Magnolia disliked snow? She hated this sort.

With a small shiver running down her spine despite the wool peacoat she wears, Magnolia stands before the sliding door, giving it a second then stepping inside when they slide either way, shuffling her feet on the rug along the way. It wasn't particularly effective, considering she still made a bit of a squeaking sound with every step. Ugh. She grabs one of those small shopping carts designed for those lone-living types and begins to browse the fruit. Taking a plastic bag in hand, she plucks a few apples, dropping them in and spinning it round, closing it with a twist-tie. She does the same with grapefruit, pears, and oranges (the blueberries came in a little plastic pint, so it wasn't necessary). She fills her cart with vegetables and bread and a bag of salt & vinegar chips and yogurt before moving down the aisles with a purpose.

Eventually, the brunette stops and crosses her arms, staring down several bottles of wine. Though she did enjoy bottles that were a little more pricey, she was never against a bottle under $40, as long as it didn't taste like she was sipping on rubbing alcohol. The only problem was deciding. There had to be a good two, three hundred bottles here. Red or white? Champagne, Brut, or Prosecco? Beaujolais, Syrah, or Merlot? Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, or maybe a nice Melon de Bourgogne?

...she was going to be here a while.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-26T11:28:00

2011-01-26T16:18:23Z

Who: Diana and?
What: Snow!
Where: the National Mall, near the Smithsonian metro stop
When: Late morning

Diana had been supposed to work the tour-mobile today but the snow coming down had pretty much nixed that idea. Their tour group had been canceled for the day and that had been that. She could have just gone home, it was true but...

It was snowing.

So instead, Diana was down at the Mall, very studiously building a little mob of small snowmen.

At least she was wearing gloves this time.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-25T23:12:00

2011-01-26T04:00:28Z

Who: Seth and Akana
What: They have an argument. Who's surprised?
When: Midafternoon
Where: Antique store in Georgetown

Seth really doesn't fit into the store's usual clientele. Not in his faded jeans, his worn leather jacket, or his heavy black boots. And definitely not in the careless way in which he looked at almost everything in the store. He wasn't here for knickknacks.

One of the shop's clerks had tried to discreetly follow him, ostensibly to prevent him from either stealing or breaking anything, but after a few snarls from the man, the clerk suddenly found more interesting things to take care of in the store. For his part, Seth passed by all of the various relics of the past, until he came to the bookshelves in the back and it was there he stopped, obviously looking for something in particular.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-25T18:13:00

2011-01-26T00:21:34Z

Who: Tucker and OPEN
When: Tuesday evening.
Where: Union Station, FYE
What: Picking a video game is freaking hard to do, okay man.

Tucker wasn't answering his phone, though it kept busily buzzing about in his back pocket. He was sure that it wasn't all that important. After all, they didn't have a meeting, he hadn't missed dinner, and...Jack was probably busy. So whoever was calling like a mad cat could wait.

At least until he decided just what new video Game he wanted. There was Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which had been purported to be a decent game. And Halo Reach, for all it's glory was starting to grow old. Or, at least, he was growing used to the same thing over and over again. However, he wasn't sure if a brawler game was really his style. It was so 1990s, which was over a decade ago. And then there was the fact that it wasn't out yet. Could he really wait that long for something he'd already paid for? Mm, no.

Of course there was also Fable III, which was tempting. However, Fable II had been a moral crime against humanity...and forgiving Lionhead wasn't something he was certain of yet. Maybe he'd rent it first, before wasting money on it. Alan Wake had been released last year, and he'd played it a bit on borrowed copy...but the flashlight thing got annoying after a bit. And it was a bit too Stephen King for him to really get into. So then, where did that leave him.

Dead Space 2 (which just came out, and he was greedily holding a copy of while he debated its merits), Two Worlds II....which he had not played the first one of, and wasn't sure it was worth the time. Or even what it was, for that matter. Mindjack, again he had no idea about the game. Ace Combat, which he already had, but hadn't played yet. Maybe he should, really, get around to trying it. Dead Rising 2: Case West was a good option, he was holding a copy of it too. And lastly? At least of the selection FYE had, Fallout: New Vegas was on the display right in front of him.

That one was also very tempting.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-24T17:19:00

2011-01-24T22:25:51Z

Who: Kari and whomever!
What: Playing hooky.
When: Late morning.
Where: On the Metro, riding the rails.

Riding the Metro was an interesting experience. And besides, put a couple dollars in the machine for a ticket and you could ride all day. She'd decided to ride each of the lines from one end to the other, as she got the chance. Today was the Red Line.

As long as she kept to herself, too, no one seemed to comment that she should be in school. And all the best people-watching happened here, anyway. At least until the weather grew warm and more people spent time outside. And while she watched people, there was that voice-that-was-her-but-not who would tell her about them and what Destiny had in store. That was interesting, too. Educational. Some of these things she'd end up doodling on her notepad: births, deaths, marriages, milestones.

Today, however, she wasn't doodling any image in particular, just looping whorls over and over again to keep her hands busy while she thought. Damion had mentioned, that morning, that he wanted her to meet someone. Which really meant, he wanted her to tell him what she saw in them, if anything. The idea was...bothersome for reasons the young teen couldn't define but her unease showed in the lines she drew, growing heavier and darker with every stroke of her pen.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-20T21:20:00

2011-01-21T03:14:02Z

Who: Saturday and Open
What: A walk through part of the city has her aching for winter to be done with, she meets someone new.
When: Thursday Afternoon
Where: Near Nook and Cranny.

She curled her toes, bones popped and toes wiggled wild a moment to regain some feeling. There was something about these northern winters she couldn't get used to these days. It wasn't that Savannah lacked cold winters, oh there had been a fair share of bone chilling ones to be sure, but the cold never stuck around. The cold never iced the car windows, never had snow layering front lawns, never had awful frosts killing all her pretty box flowers.

Again she curled her toes and lowered her eyes to inspect her feet. Why she thought flip-flops were a good idea was beyond her. Some days it seemed a whole other person was making choices for her, thinking strange thoughts and not considering very important things. It was as if this other person simply thought Saturday was impervious to the effects of frost bite.

With a sigh she glanced up to the sky and then turned her eyes back to the window near the front door of the Nook and Cranny. She didn't have much money to spend and it seemed she was debating spending what little she had on something inside there. She tightened her coat about her form and took a step backward, only serving to run into someone passing by. She turned swift, eyes wide.

"Oh, geez, sorry!"

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-14T13:54:00

2011-01-14T19:43:25Z

Who: Bree (The Amadaun) and OPEN
What: Bree's wandering around.
When: Noon
Where: A street in Georgtown

It wasn't that Bree didn't like Mr. McCready. She liked him--he was paying her after all--but she liked him better when she didn't have to see him. Particularly when she didn't have to see him because she had the day off. The only downside to having the day off was that she didn't get paid, which was why she was wandering down the street eating a sandwich that she'd made herself instead of sitting inside a little restaurant somewhere eating a sandwich that someone had made for her.

Well, you had to do what you had to do. At least she had the whole day clear for whatever mischief she decided to get up to. Not that she'd figured out what that would be yet.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-11T08:33:00

2011-01-11T13:33:52Z

Who: David and ?
What: Ignoring the phone, having a coffee.
When: Early afternoon
Where: Union Station

David, in all actuality, lived close enough to his office on the northwest side of the District that he often just walked to work. Traffic was just a pain and riding the Metro could be...unsavory. Today, however, he'd had business -- that had somehow included lunch and drinks -- closer to the Capitol and so he'd ended up riding the Metro from Georgetown over to Union Station earlier that day.

It had the added benefit that he could ignore his cell phone when it rang and later claim to his mother why hadn't answered his father's aide's calls was that he'd happened to leave the infernal device back at the office. He was in no mood to hear whatever his father wanted of him today.

Now, business more or less concluded for the day, David found himself reluctant to return to that selfsame office even though there was plenty that still had to be done. It was supposed to snow soon enough that day, and the thought of such weather was rather oppressive.

Far more preferable, David thought, to remain here in one of the station bars sipping coffee shot through with whiskey.

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-05T08:22:00

2011-01-05T13:27:17Z

Who: Seth and anyone
What: Finding lunch, scoping out the territory.
When: Lunchtime!
Where: Near the International Spy Museum.

There was really only one good thing about DC in the wintertime and that was he wasn't tripping over a tourist every other minute. Not that there weren't a metric shitton of tourists back in New York...but there they weren't everywhere and really, seemed more intimidated somehow. Seth had a theory that being here, at the center of their government, reminded Americans of their supposed civic rights which mainly meant they were more likely to make scenes about talking to their congressman.

At least, he thought, the winters here weren't quite as bad as Boston because he for damn sure wouldn't miss all the snow. Really, he should just pick up this gig somewhere warmer. Not New Orleans, though, because he didn't trust the city to stay above water. Not California...because the entire state was just ridiculous. Miami? Maybe. Definitely something to consider.

But for now? All Seth really wanted was a hot dog and a coffee. Which led him to another thing that was good about this town. Street vendors. Doesn't matter that it's freezing outside, those poor civil servants and brave tourists need to eat, don't they? And though Seth didn't fall into either category, he needed to eat too.

So, vendor found, food bought, Seth took a moment to stick his change back in his pocket, well aware of the eyes of a nearby homeless guy on him the whole time. Just as Seth picked up his lunch and started to walk away, the guy spoke, "Hey, could you-"

"Sorry," Seth cut him off and punctuated the word with a big bite of his food, continuing to talk with his mouth full, "haven't got any cash." It was a blatant lie, but was it really a lie if you both knew it wasn't true? Didn't really matter, he just kept on walking, a light of petty, malicious glee in his eyes.

You had to get your kicks where you could find 'em, right?

metempsychosis @ 2011-01-04T18:55:00

2011-01-04T23:52:24Z

Who: Diana and Jack
What: Having breakfast?
Where: Jack's apartment
When: Morning

Jack was an early riser, Diana knew that. In fact, he was likely out running right now, since the weather was only cold, not wet. She considered him insane but it was kind of cute. Shaking her head, she padded into the kitchen, straight to the coffeepot. Whatever swill that was left in there from when he'd made coffee before going running wasn't fit for human consumption. She would know, after all. Unceremoniously, Diana dumped the dregs down the sink before starting a new batch, properly. He really should just let her set it up the night before. Pause. Strike that. She would just go ahead and set it up the night before because this was getting ridiculous.

And if he complained? Well, she'd just tell him she was allergic to bad coffee.

That thought prompted a laugh as she got milk out of the refrigerator and made herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast -- something else for Jack to be scandalized about. They got along wonderfully, but his health food thing was a wee bit obsessive, as far as she was concerned.

So Jack would find her when he came back home to finish getting ready for work, sitting at the bar, good coffee in a mug and big bowl of half finished Lucky Charms in front of her.

beginnings

2010-12-21T00:27:53Z

Who: Bill Black
What: Just your average, every day homeless guy having a premonition.
Where: Somewhere between Metro Center Station and Gallery Place/Chinatown Station
When: Early morning

Bill had the luck to be on good terms with some of the folk in St. Patrick's and they were good enough to give him a warm spot to sleep on those winter nights when he didn't seem to have anywhere else to go. For that, he was grateful as he quietly left the church at dawn and turned up his coat's collar against the winter's chill. He wasn't one to overstay his welcome. Besides, a new year was here, and now a new day. Something about that made him smile to himself as he walked down the street, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Not too many people were out and about at this time of morning and those that were didn't give him a second look. Either they didn't want to look him in the eye and prompt the homeless guy to ask for a handout or they simply didn't care about the scruffy man passing them by. At a street corner, Bill paused for the light to change and took his time admiring the light of the sun as it slowly started to peek over the buildings around him. "A new day," he muttered, "the beginning of something..." what? Good? Terrible? Momentous? Minute? He grasped at the thought for a moment, but whatever had inspired him had fled and he was left with just the aborted sentence and a sense that something was about to shake up his life.

He let out a sharp bark of laughter, "good, things haven't been exciting lately."

The light changed and the man walked on to face the day.