Street where the riches of ages are sold (OPEN)

[kleptofaeniac]

A: Barnet

Kenzi and Jennifer weren't friends by any stretch of the word. Acquaintances was a closer definition but even then, they didn't run in the same circles. The only reason she even knew Jennifer was the girl found dead in Barnet was she might... be following police intel. For a friend.

It was weird for her to be doing something that wasn't outright for her own self interest but it was shockingly helpful. After all, once she heard the description of the Jane Doe it was only a matter of time before her research and connections (however small they might be) told her one thing.

Jennifer - a Circle Midnight witch - was dead, killed by someone invested in the Redbright takeover in Barnet. Kenzi hoped that nobody from Circle Daybreak, The Night Council, or any vampires would go where Jennifer lived and take things. She didn't think they'd be that stupid - or that smart.

So Kenzi went in the morning, when everyone was headed to work and acted as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Confidence would get you access to more things than fake badges. But she had one of those too just in case.

It would be a tough sell, though. Considering she was wearing stiletto leather boots that went all the way up to her thighs, and had green threaded through her very black hair. Not a cop, by any stretch.

But that didn't stop her from breaking the seal of tape and touching her little wooden key-chain to the door. There was the tell-tale click of locks being undone, by the sound of how many there were - it seemed like Jennifer either had something pretty valuable inside or was super paranoid.

Well, she did get murdered after all. Maybe she wasn't so paranoid.

Kenzi spends a good portion of her time frame that she allowed herself roaming around the apartment and stuffing things she wants into her backpack. Hey, Jennifer wasn't going to be using them anymore. Might as well make sure they stayed out of Redbright's hands in the meantime. A few books for magic, almost all her jewelry and her little black contact book that had all the phone numbers a witch could ask for.

Maybe there was something important in there?

Kenzi is leaving the apartment with her backpack filled to the brim and going straight for her car.

B: Portobello Road - Friday

It was a cheap gimmick, and something that usually only got the stupid people and tourists interested - but that was what she wanted. It was easy to fleece someone who was too busy listening to what she was saying about how fascinating their life line was to notice her lifting their watch or hand jewelry. And it didn't hurt that she asked for 16 quid before even speaking to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't be shy. Come, see what the future has in store for you and your loved ones!"

She had a little stall on the market road, something her cousin had hooked her up with. It was all decked out in exactly what you would expect from a Russian fortune teller, except she was about fifty years too young to make it especially hokey.

Kenzi was dressed like a hippy. Not a scrap of black on her, and her make-up was done so as to look as natural and flower-child-y as possible. To top it off, she was wearing an ashy blonde wig with some stuff woven into the hair.

She might also be selling knockoff charms to normal people. They're in the approximation of the real charms that she makes, but they're completely useless. Still, a witch or someone who knows her work might recognize them.

C: Late Night Munchies

There was a plus to living in London. There was always something open and ready to serve you greasy, disgusting food. Which was exactly what Kenzi wanted late at night after working in her shop all day long. She might just be making Day and Moonlight Jewelry and other little charms and sundry items that she sells to people who want them, but she is only one witch. And that means constantly flexing her magical muscles for a whole day makes her exhausted, and starving too.

She's sitting inside a little pizza place, whose front of house is so small they only have room for a counter to order at and chairs along the walls and front windows to sit at while you wait for your food.

Kenzi is dicking around on her phone when suddenly, her nose starts to bleed. Yet another lovely side affect of not having a coven.

D: W-W-WILDCARD!!

Make your own up if you feel up to it!

Comments

ARADIA

[kleptofaeniac]

[Kenzi is not an exorcist by any stretch of the imagination. But that doesn't stop her from pretending to be one!

She has a jar that she is lying shamelessly about being an actual Ghost Jar, but it's not like the apartment manager knows that. All Kenzi knows is that this woman is dead convinced that there is a ghost haunting the apartment she wants to lease and she can't just go and let someone live there without trying to cleanse the space, can she?

Kenzi would personally just lie by omission to whoever wanted to live in the place and consider it a done deal. But she'll also gladly pretend to know more about ghosts than she does.]

Hmmm, yes I can feel the spiritual energy here.

[She's affecting some kind of Serbian accent that she copied from her grandmother's legit one so it sounds more ... authentic than any other fakey voice. But it's still incredibly theatrical.

Kenzi closes her eyes and inhales deeply, as if tasting the air, and nods slowly.]

Ah. You were not wrong. There are lingering energies here.

[Kenzi takes a sage stick out of her bag and lights it to get it smoking. And then starts speaking in gibberish.

The witch language itself doesn't sound dissimilar, but ho-boy this is not that. It's all garbled tongues and....some pig-latin mixed in there for flavor.

Kenzi gets louder and louder as she speaks, getting more and more dramatic as she does so before collapsing on the floor as if suddenly having a fit.

When she gets up, she gasps and looks around bewildered before looking to the apartment manager herself, who is standing at the door looking quite into Kenzi's performance.]

You must leave! The spirit may possess your weak-willed body! Go! Seal the threshold!

[The woman looks as if she's confused before Kenzi gestures wildly to the door.]

The door, child, the door! Quickly!

[Despite the woman being a good twenty years older than Kenzi, she does as she's commanded and the instant the door is closed Kenzi drops the act and sighs.

Time to get to work.

After all, she explained how the ghost jar worked. She had to make it look real. A little dry ice and a sparkling charm shoved in there would be convincing enough.

Both of which were in her bag on the table.]

hope this is alright!

[megidoomed]

[ That was certainly a performance.

She'd stuck around to see the "exorcism" as it happened, after hearing a rumour along the grapevine of a medium in the area, and it didn't disappoint. It didn't take much to see that the medium in question was not as authentic as she insisted, and... well.

That grinded her gears a little bit. She can't just watch someone take advantage of the dead, even if no actual spirits were involved, and it wouldn't take much effort from her to set things straight. And if it meant having a bit of fun in the process, no biggie. ]

It's not fair to lie to them, you know. They only wanted help.

[ No sense in manifesting so early, choosing instead to whisper from a foot behind Kenzi. Sup, witchbro. ]

so alright!

[kleptofaeniac]

Tvoyu mat'!

[:is what instantly spills out of Kenzi's mouth when she hears someone talk. When you're in a 'haunted' apartment, you really don't want to hear voices out of nowhere. It wasn't fun.

So Kenzi does what any normal girl would do and makes a nosedive behind the couch with the rotted out bottom. There's a period of radio silence before she peeks over the back holding her sage stick out as a weapon.]

Who's there?

[To her credit, she doesn't sound like she's about to start crying.]

[megidoomed]

[ Kenzi's distressed dive sparks an oddly warm laugh despite the chilled circumstances, because damn actually spooking people is fun. It's even more delicious when it's seemingly justified, though the laughter stalls at her question, because really-- ]

You're starting with that one? Want to go through the list of ghost cliches too, or...

[ It's taxing to interfere with the world while remaining invisible, but appearing in person would show her hand too early. She picks the closest bit of decor - a suitably tacky lamp, as it turns out - and awkwardly starts rattling it in place. ]

Do you like the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present or Future best?

NANCY

[kleptofaeniac]

[A large pepperoni with extra cheese and some boxed Zin was all Kenzi needed to bring besides her fabulous self. Kenzi's hands were a bit overburdened with the aforementioned finery so she kicked at Nancy's door in the semblance of a knock.]

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

[She thinks she's funny, Nancy.]

[stauncherhearted]

[Kenzi, you are a queen. Nancy's quick to get the door, opening it up with a casual:] Jewish.

[Well. Fagin was. Technically. As a result those were the most observed holidays in her life. Other than magic-related ones.]

C'mon in! Lemme grab that for you. [She wastes no time in grabbing the box and placing it in her fridge] Okay! Hi! [And now hugs.]

[kleptofaeniac]

Another fun Nancy factoid. [She smiled, happy to learn another little thing about her friend. She wasn't one to share personal things herself, but she could try to make the effort. Right?]

Hellooo, nurse!

[She really can't say 'hello' like that without adding on the 'nurse'. T.V programmed her.]

We're gonna have sooo much fun! I can't wait to not sleep!

[stauncherhearted]

I've got more, if you want 'em.

[She laughs brightly, dimples showing in full force.] I know! Netflix and wine, I stopped at Sainsbury's and picked up some candy, too! Sit, get comfortable.

[Nancy, for her part, was in a pair of yoga pants and an old t-shirt. Perfectly good lounging around clothes. Why would she wear anything else? Any spell she had to cover up the healing bite-marks on her neck and wrists, or anything else, was gone. Best to let those injuries heal. Besides, that spell could be exhausting at the end of a long night.

Getting out two glasses, she poured them each some wine.]

A

[detectiveofthewest]

And running right into Heiji, who had a similar idea but hadn't actually been planning on removing things from the girl's apartment.

"Somehow I don't think the cops'd appreciate you doin' that," he said, motioning to Jennifer's things. Well... not that the police would get much use out of it, though. Probably just dismiss it as part of the delusions of an unusual girl living on the cultural fringe. If not a Satanist. Lol cops.

"You a friend?"

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi tries not to jump at running into the fae and she steps back several paces while keeping a grip on the strap over her shoulder as if she was afraid of someone snatching it.

She came prepared for someone catching her and has one little sparkle charm in her pocket. It's not the craziest thing but it is bright and maybe distracting enough to buy her some time if she needs it.

As it is, she doesn't think Heiji is a cop by how he isn't immediately trying to arrest her. She goes into a lie immediately.

"Of the family's. Her mom wanted to come with me but... she thought it might be too hard."

She even makes sure to sound upset, sympathetic even. After all she was a friend of the family's.

[detectiveofthewest]

He kind of doubted that Kenzi was telling the truth, but in the end... well, dead was dead. He already knew who'd killed her and had strong suspicions about the why. And now here was another witch at Jennifer's apartment, carting a bunch of things out of her apartment.

"Listen, I need to talk to one of you guys. You're not with Redbright, are ya? Wouldn't make much sense if ya were, I guess; them types are more interested in makin' sure people follow the rules when you're alive."

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi stayed quiet as Heiji spoke. He didn't sound like a typical cop, but that didn't mean anything. After all, if she could lie someone else could, right? She didn't take into account that the guy might be fae. Fairies always seemed like they were above petty human or mortal shit.

"Okay...Who the hell are you?"

One thing was clear, she didn't like this.

A

[acrookedchild]

Abigail had tracked down the girl she'd seen killed. The news had been helpful enough, providing her name, and Abby knew enough to do the rest. She'd visited the parents and introduced herself. They'd thanked her for coming forward to tell the police what she'd seen. It was more than they could have asked of someone, they said. But she knew they'd rather she'd been the one killed. She couldn't blame them. Any parent would.

Talking to people was easy, especially comforting them.

It hadn't been hard to find out where she'd lived. After that...

Well. She couldn't really say what her plan was. Maybe she wanted to see if the Night Council would try to clean things up or if Redbright would show an interest in the place. So, she'd watched the place as nonchalantly as she could, enjoying a cup of coffee somewhat frequently nearby, making it part of her walks. Little things.

Which meant that a car outside of it caught her attention. So, she waited on the porch across the street, pretending to check her phone. She wanted to see who came out, and she could make it look like she was waiting for someone inside the building she was in front of. Perfectly normal.

Then...

That girl had been at Redbright's party. She'd claimed to not have a side. So why the hell was she taking things out of the building? Because it definitely couldn't be a coincidence. As the girl drew a bit nearer to her car, Abby stepped off the porch across the street and called out.

"Hey!" She hurried over, not sure the other wouldn't just book it to the car and drive. But she slammed her hand down on the hood of the car when she reached it, staying on the opposite side. "Who are you?"

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi's scream died in her throat when she was it was the girl from that party. Widdowson, or something. At least she thinks that what it is. She was just about to put the backpack in her backseat when the chick came blazing across the street.

"Jeeeze, dude you practically made me have a heart attack!"

She's conveniently ignoring your question, though. Because she is not answering it. If she can help it.

[acrookedchild]

"Too bad," Abby snaps over the hood of the car. "Who the Hell are you?! What are you doing here?!"

She needs to know. Needs to hear it. Because this matters. It matters because Jennifer matters. She doesn't know the girl, but she wants to do something to help. Even though there's almost nothing she can do.

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi isn't used to being so aggressively shouted at and it makes her sort of retreat into herself out of shock and stutter. It's unprofessional and she can't stand it but it comes out without her permission.

"W-What the hell is your problem, bitch?!"

She tosses the backpack in the backseat and closes the door quickly. She's making a move for the driver's side door, which is on Abigail's side of the car unfortunately. Her eyes dart down to the passengers side. Maybe she can squeeze over the middle and get away before crazy eyes here tries to knife her.

B

[mensrea]

There was a short line to the stall when Stiles wandered down the road. Head buried in his smartphone, he distractedly gets in the queue behind a young couple to wait. He is, naturally, under the very mistaken impression that this is a food stall. So when it’s finally his turn and he’s stepping up, it is in absolute mortification that he realizes Kenzi owns the stall. The not food stall. That he has been waiting in line for. For about fifteen minutes.

“Sixteen quid!?” he balks, because what else can he say? There’s no way in hell he’ll admit he’s not here to have his fortune told. “So this is how you can afford champagne like that.”

He still has no idea she stole it.

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi told the couple that they'd have a loving future ahead of them. Which was a horrible lie, considering she could tell he couldn't wait to get out of this date and probably get back to the girl or guy he was porking on the side. Young love.

She bids them a good day and the spirits watch over you, blah, blah, blah in her thick Russian accent and smiles until they turn around. The expression immediately drops, an obvious act as she works out the tension in her cheeks from so much fucking smiling for her next customer -

Who is none other than Nancy's date. The champagne burglar: Stiles.

Kenzi doesn't offer so much as a 'Hi hows the manhandling going?' before she shrugs without a lick of shame at his indignation for the price.

"I gotta eat don't I?"

The smile she shoots him is... awful. She's awful. Everything's awful. Including the tacky set up she has in the stall. It's Fortune Tellers R Us in her little booth.

"'Sides, people will pay a hell of a lot more to hear exactly what they want."

She doesn't really care to affect the 'I have crossed the Baltic Sea to bring you this news' accent with this guy. He's met her when she isn't working tourists, it won't fly.

[mensrea]

It definitely wouldn’t fly, though he’s inwardly disappointed that she dropped the accent; now he can’t poke fun at it. Good natured fun, mind you. He’s not here to be mean. He can be an adult. He can be the bigger person. He can… No, he’s a child and he’s still butthurt over what happened at the party. So he hands over the money and makes himself comfortable. If she’s selling a service, he’s going to demand that service.

“Can you actually tell someone’s future?” he asks, a bit doubtfully, because he’s not sure if that’s an ability witches have.

C

[emotioneater]

By Cooper's internal clock, it was mid-morning for him. Though he often forgets to eat if he didn't have to, he does occasionally attempt to act more like a human being instead of a blood-craving monster. He's sitting in a chair, sipping on a soda in a glass bottle, when Kenzi's nose starts to bleed.

If a shark can smell a drop of blood from three miles away, Cooper can definitely smell a bloody nose in close quarters. The reaction is almost immediately. His pupils shrink and the grip around his bottle tightens. It's a struggle not to get up from his seat and sink his fangs into her neck right then and there. His self-control wars with his instincts all the way up until the glass shatters under his grip, leaving shards in his hands and soda sprayed all over. "Oh hell..." He grumbles to himself. Things keep getting better and better.

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi is only just realizing the blood is even dripping when the soda glass shatters loudly and makes her yelp in alarm, scooting up into her chair like the floor was suddenly lava.

Survival mechanisms; so much fun.

She's silent for all of about a few seconds before leaping to her feet. The nosebleed is going untended but she wipes at it distractedly with her hand and sniffs loudly.

"Dude, are you okay?!"

She doesn't even begin to think he might be a vampire. All she can really focus on is the dude's soda just exploded in his hand!

And in the back of her mind she hopes it wasn't her and her magic going fritzy on her. It used to do that before she left home. Things would explode or get tossed into walls. It was waved off as a puberty thing.

[emotioneater]

"Just fine," Cooper says through grit teeth. It's been a while since he shattered anything with the super strength that all vampires possess. He looks at the glass shards all over the place. A few of the bigger pieces are embedded in his hand. He grabs a napkin in some futile gesture to mop up both the split liquid and the blood now oozing out of his palm.

"Whatever you do, don't touch me," he warns Kenzi. He can still smell her blood, tantalizing, delicious, and mocking him. Any human contact right could snap the few threads of self-control still remaining.

Cooper winces, grabs ahold of one of the pieces with his good hand, and unceremoniously yanks it out.

B

[eyeforaneye]

Sasuke's been inspecting the charms for no less than ten minutes, or at least allegedly so. It's his lunch break and he left work with the intention of buying a phone charger (it's already in his pocket) and not much else, so the distraction is a welcome one to keep him out of the office for a little while longer. He's overheard at least two readings so far as an added bonus.

"... that wig doesn't suit you." Finally, he speaks.

[kleptofaeniac]

Kenzi pulls a pouting frown at the observation. She personally thinks the wig looks bitchin' and that this stranger could go suck an egg. But, a stranger was a mark. She could make this work.

She adjusts the wig and makes a point of looking self-conscious about it too.

"I have a medical condition, ser."

Kenzi uses the Russian pronunciation of the title and makes sure her accent is suitably thick, and to also sound annoyed - a little flustered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? Read your cards?"

[eyeforaneye]

Please don't make him suck an egg.

"Whether or not you have a medical condition doesn't change my point. You should adjust the left side just behind your ear, however; it's giving away your real color when you move." After a long pause he picks up a charm that's meant for protection, then a second that supposedly brings money and fortune.

"I'll take both of these. Are your readings accurate?"