Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky [Open]

[rules_winter]

1. Bulding glass houses
Mab had finally staked out her home, something that had before been more of a manor she now was pouring will into, icing the facade. She'd been working intermittently for days now, spilling enough magic into the structure each time to build a new layer of ice without completely draining her resources. It simply wouldn't do to be caught out without some of her strength to use. By now the building reflected the sun back in glacial colors, and almost seemed to have it's own inner glow, a pulsing of variable colors that matched her eyes and would leave those without strong magic entranced if they gazed too long. The ice was thick enough that you could no longer see the stone that had originally created the structure and you could also no longer see the door. Icicles hung like deadly spears from the eaves and the windows glittered with facets.

She pulled her hands away from the side of the building and stepped back, breathing in deeply before looking up at her work. It was nearly done, a few more days and it would be a solid defense, beautiful, remote and deadly, standing at the top of a hill bare of trees though they gathered around about a half a kilometer from the base of the hill. She shook a hand as though weary before straightening completely and giving it all a proud look. Yes, this would do nicely. Snow started falling just in the general area, carpeting the top of the hill and scattering down into the grass and heather. The snow muffled all the other noises in the area making everything feel even more remote.

2. Air and Darkness

A pale figure seemed to shimmer into space between two trees in a wooded area of the Southeastern Greenbelt. As if she'd taken off a black cloak and let it fall to her feet she stepped out of the darkness and onto the grass overlooking Crystal Palace Park. Following her as though congealing at her feet is a creeping fog, a result of her own natural coolness hitting the warm summer air. In the darkness she puts a hand out to touch the worn stone pillar on a set of stairs leading down from the Italian terrace she is standing atop and ice forms along it, spreading along the surface and making soft cracking noises as the cool expands inside the stonework. Lambent eyes take in the area, assessing who is nearby. Even as she begins to walk down the steps, the fog starts spilling down them in her wake like a living thing, silent and sinuous.

Her gown trails down behind her and it is difficult to see where fabric stops and fog starts, it all blends together.

3. Newfangled technology

Mab stood unnaturally still, looking up at the sign above the store. The sign did not sound like it should sell cellular telephones but the window displayed them. The sign should be changed. She had the strong urge to fix it for them because it annoyed her. Finally she took a noticeable breath and her head moved, dropping to look at the door which hand a metal handle. Humans loved metal far too much. It was why she found gloves necessary but she still did not like to touch the bane. Even through her gloves it burned a little. Instead she waited a moment more for someone to open the door and she followed them in, letting the door close behind her without ever touching it.

She stopped again inside the store and looked askance at the rows of different phones many of which also seemed to have metal housing. The air in the store was cool enough it didn't noticeably cool when she entered but the window on the glass door behind her fogged a little until she began to walk farther in, eyes scanning across displays that seemed to be written in English but for the life of her none of them made any sense at all. Abbreviations, numbers, features. She stared down at one of the little cards and then looked up at the displayed phone. The screen glowed with pictures splattered across the screen. Tiny tiny pictures.


4. Anything else!
Hit me up, I know there are a few people I mentioned wanting to meet, if these don't fit for you let's work something out, baby.

Comments

1

[entitles]

Although Balem was barefoot and bare-chested - as he often was in the Other Realm - he didn't seem to be cold in the slightest. Small wisps of steam trailed off of him where snowflakes touched his skin, although he wasn't warm enough for his presence to melt ice, thankfully. It would have been rather rude to melt her house when she had put so much effort into building it.

"Lady Mab," he said with a slight nod, "I see you've been hard at work already. It looks quite lovely, I must say."

[rules_winter]

It would take great continuous fire to destroy ice of the thickness of her home were it not directly linked to her powers while she was there. In her presence he could likely burn at any temperature he liked. But it was polite of him not to try. Perhaps some day they could test it. Mab turned after he spoke, nodding back.

"Lord Balem, I had not yet expected visitors." If she was upset by such it did not appear on her face or in her voice. Instead she turned back to her new fortress and smiled a little at it, pleased that someone with a taste for beauty acknowledged her work. It had been built for security but there was definitely a cold beauty to it. No minor fae scurried about outside currently though she did have a few inside, seeing to the final touches. "It is almost completed. I am satisfied to hear my skills have not lapsed."

She moved forward and touched the door with her palm, and where there was ice previously now there was only empty space. Glancing over her shoulder she tilted her head at the doorway, "Perhaps you would like to see inside as well?" he was here, after all. And she did not get the impression he often went out of his way to visit others.

[entitles]

"What can I say, I like to be first," he said, although the fact that he was the first visitor was complete coincidence, he simply saw a nearly-completed icy mansion during one of his astral projections and decided to pay a visit.

"I still have an eye for beauty, after all these years," he said, although of course his definition of beauty consisted mostly of himself, but he did have room to praise others once in a while, "And of course, I'd love to see inside."

[rules_winter]

Balem did seem the sort to like to be at the front of the line. "One does not generally lose such a thing as an eye for beauty." She agreed, stepping inside and allowing him to follow her. When he did, the ice would reappear behind them. "And you certainly do surround yourself with it in your own home."

The front entrance opened up to soaring ceilings held up by frosted pillars, the glow from the walls sending shades of glacial colors across the walls and floors, from the ceilings jagged chandeliers of icicles hung glowing and filling the room with a diffused light that made the ice around them glitter. For all the ice it wasn't too cold in the large open room though. And the floors were strewn with rugs and furs. In the center of the foyer was a waterfall between two arching stairwells but no water moved in the waterfall, instead it was frozen in heavy drips as though stopped in time.

[entitles]

He would take that as a compliment on his own beauty, as he had to many pictures and statues of himself. Perhaps she meant the stars or the palace itself, but he chose to take it to mean himself anyways.

"It reminds me of the aurora," he said, running his fingers down one of the walls as the colors danced over them. He was rather fond of all phenomena in the night sky, not just the stars, so this appealed to him greatly.

Coffeers' Shop [For Clara]

[rules_winter]

Mab was determined to get a coffee shop right. But she did not want another experience like her chocolate caramel latte or whatever it had been. Instead she ordered tea. Human could not possibly mess up tea, could they? So she took her cup as the server handed it over with a cheers she turned and moved to one side to sit at a table from which she might observe interactions in such places. Unlike every other person in the building she did not have a cellular telephone out and she did not have a wallet or purse of any type but no one seemed to find it odd.

She nudged a chair out with her foot and settled down on it her steaming tea sitting in front of her. They'd given it to her in a proper cup, with a saucer instead of the styrofoam many of the other customers were holding. Apparently you could request it. Someone nearby had a computer out and they were busily typing away at it, and across the way a group of girls were chatting animatedly about politics.

Mab lifted her cup to her lips and sipped, the hot liquid was steeped just right. Mab paused to look at it, pleased before setting it back down.

/slides in hello yes i'm excited

[warmheartedly]

It was at that moment absentmindedly Clara phased through a wall, right through the table where the girls having their friendly debate were at without her knowing.

Until, at least, the girls raised a loud commotion at the sudden chill sweeping over them and their assortment of coffees and teas becoming cool and, thus, useless to them. The ghost pulls away and looks embarrassed, wincing at how the girls quieted down but continued to look confused and disappointed at what just happened to them.

"Sorry!" It's not like they, or anyone else, could hear her. Not that it won't stop her from feeling bad as a waiter now has to scramble to the table and see what they could do to help out. "I didn't see you all there. Honest! Oh my."

:)

[rules_winter]

Well now, wasn't that interesting. Mab watched the woman drift through the table and the girls hands and cups. The complaints were dismayed and the ghostly woman tried to apologize as though she thought they might be able to hear her. Mab's eyes focused on the ghost and she took another sip of her tea. Letting the steam warm her face she watched through it as the waiter scrambled to get the girls new warm drinks.

Using the hubbub to cover her voice she tilted her head a little and spoke to Clara. "It will do no good to apologize. They cannot hear you." Sometimes it was hard to tell how aware a ghost was of it's own place in the world.

[warmheartedly]

Oh!

... In hindsight she needs to stop being so surprised that there are people who can see her in her haunting spot. It's going to happen given how long she's been around and how more and more of the others are coming out to the city. Maybe she's surprised by how often it's happening compared to before. Nevertheless she looks at the person, a woman, talking to her and gives a sheepish smile.

"I know but it feels rather rude to not give one at least," she explains, her tone warm and her reasoning sensible in her opinion. Just because they can't hear her doesn't mean she shouldn't at least try to. Who knows? Maybe one of them can hear her but only a whisper, a mutter.

"You're not worried about people overhearing us?"

[rules_winter]

The idea of being rude when no one knows you've done it in the first place seems baffling to Mab. She considers it for a moment with a thoughtful expression. "Habit?" She finally suggests. Even if someone hears a mutter, they would not understand what the apology is for after all.

Sipping her tea again she sets it down on the saucer and taps the handle with a finger. She's veiled for observation. People know she's there but they're not paying her much attention. Sort of like a 'don't look here' field that makes her wholly uninteresting to those she does not wish to notice her, which might seem like a feat itself considering her odd pale skin and white white hair and clearly expensive clothes. This coupled with the mantle of privileged she wears as though a queen at her throne make her normally more difficult to ignore. Instead of mentioning that she smiles a little, "People speak to the air regularly now, it would seem." She cants her head in the direction of a man with a cellphone in hand and a wire leading up to his ear having an argument with someone miles away.

3.

[damnyank]

Here's your ticket into the O2, Vodaphone, or whatever store of cellphone hell Mab's found herself. In fact, he opens the door for her like a proper gentleman, even doffing his hat lazily.

"Miss."

Following in after her, Jackson makes a beeline for the nearest salesperson and hands him a banged-up cellphone with a shattered screen. In and out, quick as possible, that's the game. Replace the piece of junk with the exact same, albeit new, piece of junk. The not-so-perky salesperson tells him that he'll be right back, he just needs to go into the storeroom and locate the phone.

"Don't dawdle," he shouts after him, "I'm on a lunch break here!"

Meanwhile, he takes to idly scanning the glass cabinets and display shelves. Whatever megapixel cameras. Facetime. Group chat. Apps. Who the hell cares. But as he observes, Jackson spots the lady from before, noticing the detached, if not confused look on her countenance. The look of discerning a foreign language. A look that Homer Jackson knows well. Add in the strange, fancy-ish accoutrements, and well, Jackson thinks he's got an idea--

"Miss. You need a hand?"

[rules_winter]

Mab lifts her head as he can only mean her and she slowly turns so green green eyes focus on Jackson's. Mab stares for a moment like she's trying to see into his soul. He carries magic about him like a hastily thrown on bathrobe which is... interesting. Finally she touches the glass case careful not to frost it with her finger, pointing to the specs. "What does it mean?" She asks him with a frown. Her accent is some odd amalgamation of European and American with something else mixed in. He sounded American. Maybe East Coast? It was so difficult to keep up with changing languages some days.

She turns and looks down at the phone. "I need a cellular telephone with which to take messages." Mab doesn't know about any of the other things it can do. The important part is the messages. "It must stand up to cold, preferably in plastic." And suddenly he's been assigned as her salesman. Don't try to get out of it now buddy.

[damnyank]

The lady's looking at him with such intensity that any normal person would find it creepy and unnerving, but Jackson knows better. Mab's not looking at him, rather through him, looking past his skin to see whatever secrets are tucked inside. His posture stiffens on instinct, as though he's suddenly being cornered.

In a way, he is-- she seems old, powerful, and fae, and Jackson's learned to treat them like land mines. Helpful relations, should you find yourself a friend; more of a nightmare than any witch or vampire should you get on their bad side. That isn't too difficult, considering who he is, and how fickle and touchy they can be.

So he grins, and pretends to be obliging, walking over to her with his hands tucked into his pockets. He directs his eyes toward the display case in front of her, not really looking.

"All of these would serve you well. Though I'd suggest something less... complex." He pauses, looking back at her with a knowing look. "What's a lady like you lookin' for a device like this?"

[rules_winter]

Her eyes narrow a little at the suggestion that complexity would be a problem for her. When in reality it would, it can take older creatures a much longer time to grasp all the quickly changing technology of the current day. It's very different to be told so.

One pale brow lifts in response to his question. "I wish to take messages." That much should have been clear, in her opinion, based on her earlier description of what she was looking for. "And contact others." And not scare away witches because she had no way to call the numbers on the little cards they gave out.

"And which one is less... complicated?" She asked him her expression challenging.

[damnyank]

Being unrepentantly blunt is all a part of Jackson's sparkling personality. Though if Mab were to ask any of the staff here, they'd likely find her question embarrassingly dumb, so really, she should be grateful that he understands. But when are Fae ever grateful when it comes to mortals and their mundane ways?

He steps toward her, shoulders squared, a movement meant to assert his confidence. "Messages and contact? You can't call it a cellphone, if it don't perform either of those." He picks up one of Iphones, sliding the menu across the screen. "Now these? They can play music, tell the weather, surf the net-- even download an app that'll paste your pretty mug on a dog."

Tossing the phone at her, Jackson expects Mab to catch it. If she doesn't, well, hell, he ain't paying for it.

"Unfortunately, none of 'em will get you reception over there."

2

[looksatkings]

A pair of emerald cat eyes reflect the light for a brief moment, before the scent of pennyroyal and musk fills the air. Another moment passes, and Tybalt, now in two-legged form, complete with a human glamour overlaying his natural features steps out of the shadows. He gives a slight bow of greeting.

"Quite the dramatic arrival, my lady." There's a strong hint of amusement in his tone.

[rules_winter]

Considering how often she'd had to travel among the humans as a human recently, Mab was feeling much more herself doing a dramatic entrance. As Tybalt stepped out the scent of Pennyroyal preceded him, Mab lifted her head and turned to look at the fae knight, stopping on the last step and smiling as she dipped her head once in response. Mab, was not wearing a glamor. So it was probably a good thing that this area of the park was currently rather quiet. In the darker areas a human could explain away her inhumanity as a trick of the shadows.

"Sir Tybalt. Yes, one must indulge oneself on occasion." And she might have been testing the area, seeing what other supernatural creatures took note of her. The vampires were not so far away from this section of the city. Mab might have been inviting trouble to see what trouble might come. She lifted her hand so he could assist her off the last step. Not because she needed it but because she was curious to see if he would.

[looksatkings]

Tybalt saw her hesitation for what it was and smiled. The hand he offered her was steady, but there was a hint of gentle mockery in his expression. "Indeed my lady. I am the last person to castigate someone else's flare for the dramatic."

He looked around himself, though he was pretty sure there were no threats in the immediate vicinity. "So what brings you out on this lovely night?"

[rules_winter]

She took his hand and then laughed, and the sound rang around their area of the park. Taking her step down her eyes did not leave him, lets face it, the potential King of Cats was interesting. A sense of humor. So many fae lacked that. Even Mab, on occasion, because too caught up in her own plots and plans to indulge. He knew she was testing him, if the look in his eyes said anything.

Her eyes finally left him to look out over the park. "I am interested to see what kind of resistance is in the area." She replied, perhaps Tybalt had heard the fae were planning to begin pushing back against the witches. Perhaps not. "I understand the Vampires hold court not far from here." And there is something challenging in her eyes. She wants to know what kind of threat they are.

[looksatkings]

"Ah yes, the vampires." There's a hint of coolness in his tone that wasn't there before. He didn't look at her, but he did offer Mab his arm - it was a nice night for a walk after all. "I've met but one so far, but he did not impress me."

He knew of the current plans to push back against the witches, and couldn't fault that as at least an immediate strategy. Anyone who was closing off the doors between the fae and human realms needed to be shown their proper place. But still... the vampires held Southwark, and thus he had little love for them. "I suppose they're not an immediate threat," he said with a casual shrug. "But I have no doubt they will be dealt with in time."

3, I'm so late

[eyeforaneye]

Owning a cockatiel is by and large an uneventful experience.

Owning a loud old cockatiel who enjoys chewing up phone cords on a regular basis is less so, and thus Sasuke is very frequently forced into this particular shop which seems to have a problem with its coolant system today but then again he's very good at finding something to complain about. Not to mention he always runs pretty hot himself, so his body temperature can handle a greater downward flux.

"... that phone is bad." Yes, trust him to only speak up to give negative commentary on something. "You don't want that one."

it's not late it's 'fashionable'. Welcome :)

[rules_winter]

His voice clearly directed at her. Mab lifts her eyes and turns her head to look at him as well as she can over her shoulder. Her body follows, turning as well. The young man with dark eyes looks almost bored.

He is more than merely human but nothing she can put her finger on. And though she looks human, he might be able to see somewhat through her own glamor if he gives it any effort.

"Do you have a recommendation?" She asked him, making a soft gesture of her hand to indicate the displayed cellular phones.

TY <3

[eyeforaneye]

Silence again reigns as he considers her request, suspicious of her demeanor in return in a way he can't quite define and it tempts him to use one of his own powers... but thankfully he resists. They're in public, after all.

"Don't buy this one or this one. This brand is also unreliable. This one is overpriced unless you want an exceptionally good camera, and even still it isn't the best value then.

This one is known for poor durability." Let him just talk about what he hates.

n/p!

[rules_winter]

Restraint is so seldom used lately. Mab listens as he moves close enough to start pointing phones out. Instead of telling her which ones are good, he starts listing off which ones are not. That earns one raised eyebrow and she starts to wonder at human technology. They all seem so enamored with it but if this young man's explanation is any indication, it's all highly suspect.

"I prefer plastic housing and have little use for a camera." She attempts to redirect his efforts to something more useful.

[eyeforaneye]

Redirecting his efforts to something useful and not based on his general piss-poor attitude or hatred of 90% of the things under the sun is an endeavor all on its own.

"Plastic housing." ... right. "Most people would call it its casing if you want to seem more normal." It's subtle enough to hint at his suspicion that she isn't normal without giving him away if she is. "Almost all of them are entirely plastic on the outside, and for those that might not be you can still buy a plastic covering. This one here... It's cheap and durable." Please don't be an old Nokia.