(no subject)

[looksatkings]

1. Arrival in London - Open


No one had noticed a cat slip onto the Tube at Heathrow Airport. A few perhaps noticed the cat get off at Blackfriars, but said cat quite obviously didn't care. He made his way up to street level and darted into an alleyway at the first opportunity. And, a few moments later a man walked out, brushing imaginary dirt off the sleeves of his shirt. He looked around and headed off down the street towards the reconstructed Globe theatre. Unlike the most of the people heading for the theater, he didn't join the press at the box office. Instead, he worked his way around the outside of the building, occasionally trailing his fingers along the theatre's outside wall.

"You're not the same, old friend," he said quietly. "But perhaps you have the same soul."

2. At the Unseelie Court - Closed to Court members



Tybalt had presented himself as was proper, and swore fealty to the Unseelie Court. Mostly because there apparently wasn't much other choice here. But for all London had changed in the centuries he'd been away, it was almost nice to see that at least the fae hadn't changed. He'd just gotten spoiled in San Francisco, where the Seelie and Unseelie Courts were weak enough that he'd been able to declare himself and his independent of that little war. But things were different here, and he would adapt. What he needed to do now was meet the other members of the Court, and get a better idea of how things really worked around here.

3. Taking in the local culture

Unlike a lot of his fae brethren, Tybalt was perfectly comfortable in the mortal world. Sometimes more so than in the Other Realms, truth be told. Not that he had any particular affection for mortals on the whole, except in how they might benefit him. But they could be beneficial, he knew. Like the young woman who was currently handing him his basket of fish and chips. Terrible food, health wise, but oh so delicious. There were small tables outside the shop, and he claimed one for himself where he could watch people pass by. He fastidiously wiped his hands on one of the brown paper napkins, and began to eat his food, all while watching for anything interesting to happen.

4. Wildcard!

Comments

3

[detectiveofthewest]

"Hi there!" Heiji was dressed in casual clothes with an iced coffee in hand. He would look perfectly nondescript in the bustle of a crowd, except that any fae would recognize him as the same.

"Didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier. Mind if I sit down?"

[looksatkings]

Tybalt raised a mildly interested eyebrow and nodded at the chair across from him at the table. "Feel free," he said, even as he pulled his food slightly closer to himself.

"I do think I saw you at Court." While he wasn't foolish enough to say much in public like that, 'court' as a word covered so many places. It was rather useful that way.

[detectiveofthewest]

And to be fair, Heiji did occasionally show up in another type of court -- as part of human legal proceedings. He sat down and put his drink on the table. He didn't bother to whisper or anything like that, which would only attract attention.

"Yeah, probably. I figured it'd be better not to crowd ya when you'd just made your introductions. I don't care for it much myself."

Actually, few animals that Heiji knew did. Maybe a dog would be okay with it, but not having a clear escape route sort of put him personally on edge. "So welcome back! I'm Heiji."

[looksatkings]

"Tybalt," he said, though the introduction was probably unnecessary. He didn't offer to shake hands or anything like that. He just nodded and broke off another piece of his fish and ate it.

"It seems many things have changed since I was last here. I'm still trying to decide if that's a good or a bad thing."

[detectiveofthewest]

Wow, Tybalt was just like a cat, even when he was not. Heiji took a sip of his drink and tried not to succumb to the temptation to steal one of Tybalt's fries. The struggle was real.

"Yeah? Like what?"

2

[rules_winter]

Mab had occasionally shown up in Chicago in the US but not often and never as far west as San Fransisco so she wasn't up to date on the current policies and her connection to the Cait Sidhe was through Malks so she had never had reason to learn of Tybalt. Cats mostly kept to themselves anyway. She watched the young (relatively speaking) Knight follow the proper steps of introduction and let him take his time mingling afterward as the musicians took up their tunes again before she found herself anywhere near him, she had her own observation to do, mostly in where the current Queen showed deference.

She frowned as the woman left and turned coming face to face with him and pausing. "Sir Tybalt. Her lips lifted at the corners just a little. "Welcome to the London Unseelie." She made a soft gesture to encompass all that was London and the Winter Court. "I do not often see the Cait showing interest in politics." That sentence was softened curiosity. Politely worded so he would not have to answer the question it represented if he chose not to.

[looksatkings]

Tybalt gave a formal bow, with only a tinge of arrogance in his movements. He was new here, after all, and there was no need to piss of anyone quite yet.

"It is a pleasure, my lady," he said as he straightened, a small smile of his own on his face. "It seems in London, one must play politics if one wishes to survive." He smile widened. "And I most certainly do. Wish to survive. And more."

[rules_winter]

If he wasn't arrogant he wasn't fae. So long as he wasn't actively trying to undermine her or disrespect her Tybalt was in the clear either from retribution or a disturbing interest. Likely with a cat that wouldn't last long.

"Surely one must play politics in any court to survive?" She replied, and her smile widened with him because she found the threat of survival delightful in it's own way. She did have that affinity to winter. "More?" She let the word draw out with a more directed interest. She also planned for much more than survival. Really though most of the creatures in the room had plans for more. Aside from perhaps a troll or two. They were happy enough to lumber around and find a fresh meal.

"Wishes are dangerous things."

[looksatkings]

"Where I was most recently, the Divided Courts were too busy being at each other's throats to care about those who didn't wish to swear fealty." He gave a graceful unconcerned shrug. "Perhaps I got a bit spoiled." Which was probably true. But it was also true he was a cat and they do tend to be spoiled by nature.

"Wishes are dangerous," he agreed, with a slight nod. "But only when they're known by your enemies." Which was a polite way of saying he had no intention on filling her in on his plans. At least not yet.

[rules_winter]

Courts in that much contention must have had some serious balance issues. But infighting amongst courts wasn't unheard of. Sometimes a Queen did not need to call on the unallied if it wasn't necessary though. She seemed amused at the thought of him being spoiled though. "No doubt you'll be busy enough to avoid such spoiling here. The benefits of such an active community."

"Not only enemies." She pointed out and touched a finger to her lip as though indicating she'd keep his wish for survival and more a secret. But not saying it meant no promises. She did like that he kept it to himself. Some of the fae here were remarkably easy to get talking. His not saying anything made him far more interesting to her.

Perhaps she would introduce him to Grimalkin when she called her servitor to come down from Norway. It would be most inconvenient though, if Grimalkin decided he had more ties to the Cait knight. Things to mull over.

Deciding to give him something for free, to foster future options of communication she offered, "If survival is a superior goal, Sir Knight, I might suggest avoiding Islington and Hackney in the human world. I understand these are two of the strongholds of the vampires." Only two of the areas they controlled but it was an offer none the less. It wasn't like she was terribly familiar yet with all the ins and outs of the human world. Mab was still building her internal power structure map as she learned.

3

[emotioneater]

The definition of something interesting might vary from person to person, but there was definitely something of note happening at a nearby table. A teenager, maybe seventeen years old at the most, was chatting with with an man in his mid-thirties in a business suit. Whatever they were talking about, Cooper seemed completely enraptured, leaning forward, eyes focused intently. The pair got up and walked off together.

They turned into an alleyway about halfway up the street. A few minutes later, the vampire came back alone, discreetly wiping his mouth. He sat down at a table right next to Tybalt. "If anyone asks, I've been here the whole time."

[looksatkings]

Tybalt had noticed the vampire - by smell if nothing else. It wasn't a scent you forgot once you knew what it was. And besides, predators recognized each other, even when they didn't always hunt the same prey. Especially when one was sometimes the other's prey. Not that Tybalt had any intention of letting himself be hunted. Tonight or any other time.

The teenager on the other hand barely registered on Tybalt's radar. What care of his was it if some human idiot got himself ensnared and eaten by a vampire? It was only his problem if the vampire did something stupid that might draw mortal attention. Since that didn't seem likely, he turned his attention back to his food.

He was just wiping the last of the fry salt off his fingers with fastidious precision when the vampire returned and sat down far too close for Tybalt's comfort. He kept his expression politely neutral however as he gave the creature a very slight nod. "I highly doubt anyone will ask," he said, voice deliberately bland. "Unless it turns out there's a reason to ask."

[emotioneater]

Cooper gets the attention of a waiter and orders a water. If the blood lingers too long in his mouth, it tends to develop a strange, coppery metallic taste. "It never hurts t'have an alibi. That's how you stay one step ahead of everyone else."

He sips the water once it arrives, turning his chair so that he's facing Tybalt. His eyes hold an appraising, intense look, almost as if he's sizing up how Tybalt's blood would taste. "So who and what are you then? Animal, vegetable, or mineral?" He doesn't smell like a human being, which narrows down what he could be by a minimal amount.

[looksatkings]

Tybalt's shrug is graceful and seemingly uncaring. "And what's in it for me to provide you one?" It's not an antagonistic question, just a curious one.

He leans back in his chair, lifting the front legs off the ground and returns the vampire's assessing gaze. "They say information is power. And if that's true, it would be truly foolish for me to relinquish that advantage, now wouldn't it?"

[emotioneater]

"Oh, good karma from being nice, the satisfaction of knowing you won't become my next meal. Nothin' but good things, I can assure you." The threat implied is an idle one. He won't need to feed for quite some time and if Tybalt won't play along, then he'll simply find someone else who will.

"Maybe you're a fool." Though Cooper doubts that very much. He's got a wild impulse to kick the back legs of Tybalt's chair out from under him and restrains that crazy train of thought. "Let's make a game of it. Three guesses. If I guess right, you're my alibi. If I guess wrong, I'll do something you want."

2

[entitles]

"Welcome back," Balem said, although he had never met Tybalt personally before he had certainly heard of him by way of the fae that did know him before his departure.

"I don't believe we've met," he said, extending a hand, "I am the Lord of Stars."

[looksatkings]

"And I am the King of Cats," Tybalt said, shaking the offered hand. He gave the other fae a sardonic smile. "Well, one of obviously, but since there are no others in London, I feel safe claiming the singular title."

[entitles]

"A shame you weren't around in Egypt way back when," he said, "All cats were kings in their own rights, I can only imagine what the King of Cats would have been."

[looksatkings]

Tybalt stood up just a little and gave a very small smile at that. He wasn't preening, not quite. But there was a bit of reflected pride in his stance. "Cats have never forgotten that. And the cait sidhe even less so. Even if the title and it's powers are a more local thing."

[entitles]

"What brought you back to London, then?" he asked, "Although we're thankful to have you. The witches and the council are getting too smug."

1 - foreverlate tag. feel free to ignore or message me to delete

[whatmatters]

"Some people would find that creepy," she offered with a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Because hanging out on rooftops in the shadows of dusk wasn't creepy at all.

Ringer stared down at the man from her perch on the low rooftop across the way. She sat casually, one foot flat on the roof with her knee hugging her chest while the other stretched out before her. Her arms rested loosely on her knee, her drawstring backpack slung on her back and her gun in its shoulder holster beneath her jacket. Even on the roof, she was only roughly three meters above the ground, though somewhat hidden by the shadows of the larger building and the evening light. A strategic viewpoint, really, though she had been watching the water more than the alleyway.

It was too early to say what he was, but the words he used and the way he spoke hinted that there was something there.

[looksatkings]

Tybalt looked up, and while his glamour covered the inhuman appearance of his eyes, it didn't affect their actual acuity. Thus, it wasn't hard for him to notice the figure perched on the rooftop. He offered her a pleasant smile, with only a hint of teeth. "I am merely a sentimental fool," he said conversationally. "I would think skulking about on rooftops would be considered far more creepy by most."

[whatmatters]

"You look pretty young to be so nostalgic," she replied lightly. It was said in such a way as to easily be taken as either a joke or a sincere observation. Ringer's tone really changed from the level and dry. It made most conversations easier. Her lips quirked at the ends in something resembling a smile as she ran a hand through her hair, a perfunctory gesture to push it back. "Probably true. Do you want me to leave?"

[looksatkings]

Tybalt chuckled at the comment about his age. "I'm older than I look, little stalker," he said with a tone of amusement. "And you don't have to leave. I was just pointing out what others might think." He let his hand drop from where it still rested on the outside wall of the theatre, and ran a hand through his own hair, in an unconscious mirror of her gesture.

"Though I do find myself curious as to what you're doing up there."

[whatmatters]

"Watching." Ringer shrugged to show how nonchalant and casual it all was. Which it wasn't, or she wouldn't have shrugged. The girl shifted, carefully planting her hands on the roof and climbing to her feet. If the guy didn't show reticence or signs of shying away, she would make her way toward the edge in preparation to jump down. Being mistaken for a stalker wasn't exactly her goal.

"Old like thirty or three hundred?" She asked in the same vaguely teasing tone. "There's a difference between older than you look, too old for flirting, and a certain je ne sais quoi."